Shifting
by KseniaLynn
Summary: Marinette has a secret, but is she brave enough to share it with a certain kitty who has taken a liking towards her? (Trans Marinette fan fiction)
1. Chapter 1

Shifting

"How's the testosterone blockers? I forgot how long you've been on them," Alya asked over the phone.

"Um, pretty good. There's not a whole lot of difference physically, but I do feel a little bit different emotionally and stuff. It been almost a month," Marinette replied as she examined her prescription on her pink polka dotted couch.

"This is so awesome that you're parents are letting you do this. How do you feel right now?"

"I feel really nervous, but like super happy," she replied as she grinned at the orange bottle.

"You got this girl. You're gonna blossom in to a beautiful butterfly once you start taking estrogen, and you'll make all those cis guys swoon over your beauty," she encouraged. Marinette giggled and blushed.

"D-Do you think Adrien would notice?" She stuttered excitedly as she clutched the bottle.

"Hopefully. I know that boy is straight as an arrow, so once you start filling out it should get his attention. You're already adorable," Alya told her.

"I hope so. I mean, everyone knows that I was a gay guy, but I dunno how I should go about this."

"Slowly but surely. I don't think anyone would give you much trouble, but if they do refer them to me," Alya said. Marinette sighed and smiled, thankful that everyone so far had been so accepting of her identity and her decision to transition.

"Thanks Alya, you're the best."

"No problem. Oh, how's your hair doing?"

"Pretty good. It's kinda shaggy right now, but my mom canceled my hair appointment and bought me my own razor and shaving cream so I don't have to use hers. It smells so good," she told her with a grin.

"I bet your mom uses the kind without a scent. There's so many shaving creams out there, it's crazy. I like the ones that smell like strawberries and go from gel to foam."

"That's the one my mom got me!"

"Whoa twins!"

"She also got me a tube of mascara, but I'm like super scared to try and use it. I've never had something so close to my eyes," she said and glanced over at the black tube on her desk.

"Oh really? That's cool, I could show you how to use it some day. Although you already have incredibly thick and long eyelashes," Alya complimented.

"Aw, thank you. You're so sweet. Thank you so much for being so accepting."

"Don't get mushy on me girl. I've suspected ever since you wore flats to school," she sassed. Marinette giggled.

"I guess that was a bit of a give away," she agreed and looked down at her prescription again. She was distracted when she heard a tap from her trap door above her bed, followed by it swinging open and a soft thump of her guest landing on her bed.

"I have to go. I'll call you later," she told Alay as she watched blond hair and green eyes peak out from the loft.

"Okay, girl. See ya."

"Bye," she said quickly before hanging up the phone.

"Am I interrupting something, your majesty?" Chat Noir asked as he hung off the edge of Marinette's bed. She gulped and felt her body start to tense. She hadn't told him yet, and she was incredibly nervous of how he would react. He was the one variable who was too unpredictable that she couldn't decipher.

"N-Not at all," she stuttered and clutched the bottle behind her back and out of his sight. He smirked and slid down gracefully to the floor.

"I hope not. I'd hate to disrupt my prince's activities," he said and leaned against the ladder that lead to her bed.

"You know I'm not truly yours," Marinette replied, trying to ignore the pet name he had assigned to her. Chat chuckled.

"Of course. The dashing heterosexual Adrien Agreste is the true keeper of your heart. He has completely captured your affections," he spoke haughtily. Marinette glared at him as he approached her.

"Well, not completely," he purred and lifted her chin.

"W-who's to say I don't fit what he's looking for," she challenged and clutched the bottle harder. Chat blinked and then lifted a curious eyebrow.

"Do you think he's actually gay?" He questioned.

"N-no. I'm positive he's straight," she stuttered and blushed. Chat frowned. He was unable to understand what she was saying, but then again he was still calling her a him in his head. Plus, he was certain Marinette would've picked up on the subtle hints he had given her as Adrien that he was totally gay for her. He decided he was here for more important reasons and tabled the subject.

"Well, aren't all boys unpredictable?" He murmured and leaned down to kiss her. Marinette's heart raced as she felt his lips against hers and his leather clad hand move to caress her cheek. She shivered at his tongue and couldn't bring herself to stop him when he reached back to run his fingers through her hair. He pulled back with a grin.

"Getting a little shaggy. Didn't you have a haircut yesterday?" He asked and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Uh m-my mom canceled it," she stuttered before he kissed her again.

"Mm…I like it," he purred and kissed her more.

Marinette clenched the bottle so hard she feared it would break in her fingers. He leaned in to push her flat against the couch, and straddled her. She flailed out of nerves as he did and the pills rattled in the bottle as he pinned her down, forcing her hold it out in the open. The rattling snagged Chat's attention as he instantly glanced at the orange bottle. Marinette looked up at him with terrified eyes as he looked between her and the bottle. That stupid cat…

"What's that?" He asked. His voice sounded serious with and undertone of fear. Was she sick? Was she doing drugs? Was she stealing drugs?

"N-nothing!" She stuttered loudly and clutched the pills to her chest. Chat's initial fear of her being involved with drugs outweigh his respect for her privacy as he pried the bottle from her thin fingers.

"It's n-nothing! I-I swear!" She protested as he successfully took the bottle from her.

"I will not let you destroy your body with drugs, Marque! What is this? LSD? OxyContin? Morphine?" He shouted shaking the bottle.

"M-Marinette," she said nervously. Chat's glare turned in to confusion.

"What?"

"M-my name…is Marinette, not Marque," she reiterated.

"What…what do you mean?" He stammered.

"I don't do drugs…" she murmured. Chat was still hopelessly lost and desperately checked the bottle.

"One milligram of…estrogen?" He read out loud. He reread the prescription again and again before looking at Marinette's watery and fearful eyes.

"I've been on testosterone blockers for a month now," she informed him, summoning all her strength to keep her voice steady. Chat instantly felt a wave of relief. She wasn't doing drugs, and he was happy with that.

"I-I should've told you sooner, but I wasn't sure how you would react and I…I'm scared," she admitted. Chat realized the situation he was in. He was sitting on top of a very scared trans girl and interrogating her about drugs. He took a moment to figure out how he should go about this, and smirked when he did.

"Marinette, eh? That's a pretty name," he spoke softly as he reached down to sweetly push her bangs from her face. Her wide blue eyes blinked up at him and some wetness leaked down on to the collar of her blazer.

"I think it suits you, princess," he said when she didn't respond. She blushed when she realized he changed his pet name for her.

"You…y-you're not…upset?" She squeaked. He chuckled and leaned down closer to her.

"Of course not, ma chérie. You're exactly what I want," he murmured and slowly kissed her. Her bottom lip trembled and she flung her arms around his neck. She held him close and nuzzled in to his neck and soft hair. Chat shifted so he was between her legs rather than on top of her and she instantly wrapped her legs around his waist in response. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck as well and kissed her skin. She sighed and smiled as she felt wetness return. It roll down her face and on to his suit and skin. He pulled back when he felt tears and looked down to see a smiling and laughing Marinette wiping away the wetness from her cheeks.

"Marinette, are you okay?" He asked. Her smile grew when she heard him use her real name and nodded with a sniffle.

"Y-yeah, its just the T blockers…and you being a sap," she told him. He laughed.

"I can't help it, you pull the sap right out of me," he murmured and kissed her again.

"Well I guess this makes you a troublesome bisexual," she teased. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I was only gay for Marque, princess," he said. Marinette blushed.

"What?"

"You were the only 'guy' I liked, but now I know I was straight the whole time," he explained.

"Really?" She asked. Chat smirked and brushed his lips against hers softly before pressing a single slow kiss to her mouth.

"Of course, princess."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Mascara

Marinette stared at the floor with wide eyes. Her entire body felt on edge as she waited for Alya to run the thick black brush through her eyelashes. She's never worn any makeup in her life, and this was perhaps the scariest part of it. Alya had already plucked and filled in her (already full) eyebrows as well as added a touch of lip gloss to her pale lips. She didn't bother with foundation since she was at least three shades darker. Plus Marinette already had a nearly perfect completion.

"Oooh, your mom got the good kind," Alya said while examining the wand.

"C-can you hurry up? I'm getting nervous," Marinette stuttered.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Alya replied and carefully ran the bristles through Marinette's full and thick lashes.

"Oh my god you're eyelashes are perfect. I'm so jealous," she whimpered while gently coating the black hairs.

"R-really? I never liked them because they always point down," Marinette muttered, trying to hold her breath.

"That's why we curled them," Alya informed her.

"God, that was scarier than this. I've never seen one of those before."

"I'll admit they look scary as fuck at first, but the more you get used to stuff around your eyes the less intimidating it is," Alya assured her.

"I don't even know if I wanna wear makeup that often. I probably don't pass very well."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm flat as a board and my hips are negative inches wide," she replied dully.

"Honey it's all about wardrobe and confidence. Plus there's body shapers out there you can try," Alya pointed out.

"What could I wear that would make me pass? My hair isn't even at my chin," she questioned.

"You could French braid your bangs, and never underestimate the power of a nice skirt. You're already pretty small, it's not like you're above average make height. Even I'm taller than you."

"True…ugh, estrogen is taking to long. It's been two weeks and it feels like nothing has happened, I've just been crying a lot," she complained.

"Aw, why are you crying a lot?"

"Literally no reason."

Alya laughed.

"Don't worry, Mari. I'm sure it's just a slow process. Besides, I think you already look like a gorgeous girl without any hormones needed," she said as she finished applying the mascara and returning it to the bottle.

"I know that you're lying, but I'll accept your compliment anyways," Marinette replied looking up from the floor.

"Holy shit you look so pretty," Alya blurted. Marinette blushed.

"R-really?" She stuttered.

"Totally! Hold on, let me get a mirror," Alya said looking around for a mirror compact.

When she found one she held it up for Marinette to see her reflection. Big blue eyes looked back at her when she gazed at her reflection paired with clean looking eyebrows and light pink lips. Her hair has grown over her ears so it looked like an over grown pixie cut. She blinked at her surprisingly soft features. Her Chinese side blessed her with full lips and a round face, and the mascara made her eyes look huge.

"Holy shit, my eyes are ginormous!" She exclaimed with a smile forming on her lips. Alya giggled.

"Yup. Like I said, your mom got you the good stuff," she winked and handed her the tube.

"Where do you get those eyelash curler-thingies? I need to get one," she asked with her eyes still locked on her reflection.

"You can take mine. I never really use it anyways because it makes my eyelashes hit my glasses," she told her and handed her the contraption.

"Really! Are you sure?" Marinette questioned.

"Totally. You should wear this tomorrow at school. It's so cute on you," Alya encouraged. Marinette's smile turned in to a fearful frown as she shook her head.

"N-no way, I-I can't do that. Everyone will think I-I'm a freak," she stuttered nervously.

"C'mon, Marinette, it's not a crime to wear mascara to school. Besides its becoming normal for anyone to wear makeup nowadays. Just try it. I'll bring some makeup wipes if you wanna take it off sometime during the day, but you should really try it," she assured and coaxed her. Marinette sighed.

"Okay…"

* * *

Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She felt like everyone was looking at her, and it made her feel uncomfortable. That morning she spent a good ten minutes trying to curl her eyelashes and applying the mascara. Thankfully her mom helped her successfully apply the sticky black makeup and she was ready. Unfortunately it was a lot more noticeable than Marinette and Alya had thought. Up close it did make her eyes look bigger and cuter, but from far away the difference was as if she had doe eyes. It was incredibly endearing, but the attention made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

"Try to keep it on a little longer, class hasn't even started," Alya told her after she had begged to take it off.

"I-I feel like everyone is staring at me. I don't like it," she whimpered and looked around the room. She made eye contact with at least two different people.

"Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe they're noticing how pretty your eyes look," Alya suggested.

"Maybe it's a bad thing. Maybe they're thinking 'oh my god that boy looks weird'," Marinette hissed.

"But you're not a boy," she pointed out.

"They don't know that!"

"You don't know what they're thinking. It's best to think positively because you honestly do look super cute. Especially with that haircut."

"I haven't had a haircut in over a month," she grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're voice sounds higher," Alya noticed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like, you already had a pretty high voice, but now it sounds more feminine," she said. Marinette smiled at her friend.

"I didn't even notice," she said happily.

Just as her smile widened in to a grin at the sound of her own voice, the door opened and Adrien and Nino walked in to class. The blond noticed the radiant smile upon Marinette's face, and felt his heart race and his cheeks turn red. He tried to look away, but his eyes were glued to her. There was something different about her, and he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He knew that she had started taking estrogen, thanks to her trust in Chat Noir, so maybe she was just happier. Her sparkling blue eyes shifted over to his and he realized he was still holding open the door for Nino…who was asking if he was alright. He finally shook his gaze from Marinette and cleared his throat.

"I'm fine," he said and released the door.

"You sure? You were kinda dozing off there," Nino continued. Adrien couldn't resist another glance at Marinette, instantly taking in to account her flushed cheeks and embarrassed expression.

"I was just a bit distracted. Thinking about my schedule," he lied as they approached their desks.

"Oh damn, you have a busy one this week, don't you?"

"Yeah, kinda. Nothing too crazy."

"That's good. Hey, Alya, did you get my text last night?" He asked turning his attention to the girl behind him. Adrien took this opportunity to sneak another peek at Marinette who was currently poking at her eyelashes. Maybe…she was wearing makeup?

"I did, and I brought the notes," she replied and shuffled through her backpack.

"Thank you so much! You're a life saver," he grinned and looked over at Marinette.

"Whoa, Marque, you're eyes look huge," he commented. Marinette blushed and cringed internally at the use of her birth name. Adrien felt the familiarity of the name, but knew it was wrong. Still, he was thankful for Nino's outburst considering it gave him a good excuse to look at her closer.

"Uh…u-um-"

"I hope you mean that in a nice way, Nino," Alya scolded.

"Of course I do! It looks great, but I've just never seen your eyes like this. What did you do?" He asked.

"I…uh used some mascara," she muttered nervously.

"You look pretty," Adrien spoke calmly despite his internal excitement. Marinette looked at him with wide eyes and blushed deeper than a rose. Alya smiled at the boys comment, and Nino was almost as surprised as Marinette was. Only when Alya nudged Mari's elbow did she realize she should probably respond.

"Oh, um t-thank you," she replied. Adrien smiled.

"I agree, Mar looks so pretty," Alya added. Adrien nodded.

"Alyaaa," Marinette whined. Alya laughed.

"Get over it. You're pretty."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: so sweet

Marinette held up her hand to examine her nails. She had thought about painting them before, but the closer she examined them the less she wanted to. Her unkept nails were all different lengths from a lack of filing and nervous chewing during class the past couple days. As fun as it was to prance in her room with her fluttery eyelashes she had trouble finding the same confidence in public and often gnawed at her nails. It felt good that Alya and her parents were her biggest cheerleaders, but sometimes they went a little crazy. Just mentioning wanting to do her nails and Sabine was already looking online for nearby nail salons and beauty stores focused on nails.

"Ugh…" she groaned and picked some dirt from underneath her ring fingernail. When she heard the familiar tap on her trapdoor she sighed and sat up on her bed to let in her nocturnal visitor. Chat Noir smiled down at her with those emerald eyes.

"Evening, princess," he greeted. Marinette returned a slight smile before scooting over and patting the sheets next to her. Chat slid down and closed the door before taking a seat next to her.

"What are you up to tonight?" He asked and leaned back on his palms.

"Not a lot. I told my mom I was thinking about doing my nails, and she totally went nail crazy and scheduled a nail appointment. I swear she and Alya are more excited about my transition than I am," she told him.

"Hm, sounds exhausting. Although a nail appointment wouldn't be a bad idea," he replied lifting her hand by her dainty wrist and examining her nails. She pulled her hand away and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Stinky cat," she sneered. He laughed and sat up.

"Do my ears deceive me, princess, or did your voice get higher?" He questioned softly as he leaned closer. Marinette blushed and backed away.

"Uh, a little," she said and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. Chat was surprised to see her resist a simple kiss and furrowed his brow.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"Well it's obvious you're not letting me kiss you. What crime have I committed to deserve such an awful punishment?" He reiterated rather poetically glancing down at her glossed lips for a second.

"N-nothing! You didn't do anything," she assured him and loosened her push against his shoulder.

"So there's another reason you don't want me to kiss you," he assumed.

"I-I never said that," she stuttered. Chat raised a questioning brow.

"I-I just…y'know…uh don't feel like it right now," she stammered. Chat leaned back and frowned.

"You're a terrible liar," he said simply.

"N-no I'm not! I wasn't lying," she defended. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Listen Mari, if you didn't feel like kissing you would've said so before pushing me away, so spill," he sassed. Marinette crossed her arms as well and glared at him.

"It's none of your business, Chat. You know I'm not completely yours," she reminded him. He blinked in surprise.

"Wait, did something happen with that Adrien guy?" He tried to refrain talking to her about himself because it felt wrong trying to lure out her thoughts about him without her knowing it was him. But this time he was just plain curious.

"M-maybe! That doesn't matter," she snapped turning red and throwing a pillow at him. He caught it and couldn't hold back a smile.

"What did he do?"

"N-nothing. I-it's none of your business," she grumbled stubbornly and turned away from him. Chat crawled towards her and laid flat on his belly to look up at her.

"Aw, don't be that way, Mari. I wanna hear the juicy gossip," he mewed and clung to her thigh. She yelped at his arm wrapping around her thigh and shimmied away from him, yet his arms remained locked around her leg.

"Chaaaaat!" She whined and tried to pry off his hands. He chuckled and licked at her hands and fingers. She pulled away at the feeling of his warm wet mouth and hastily wiped off the spit on her teeshirt.

"Ugh! You're so mean," she muttered and crossed her arms.

"I didn't mean to make you mad, princess. I just wanted the de- _tails_ ," he purred and nuzzled against her thigh. She groaned and sighed.

"You're so nosy, Chat. Fine, I'll tell you want happened," she gave up. He grinned up at her and sat up to face her.

"I-I've been wearing mascara lately, a-and a couple days ago…" she turned beat red trying to finish her sentence.

"H-He said I looked pretty," she finally said. Adrien was internally celebrating as she spoke. He had successfully wooed a girl with three words. But still he felt he could do better.

"Only pretty?" He questioned. Marinette furrowed her brows.

"What?"

"Did he only call you pretty? Because that is a definite understatement," he claimed. Marinette turned an even brighter shade of red.

"S-shut up, cat. H-he was being sweet."

"Well you deserve more than sweet. Because it's more than obvious that you're pretty…" he trailed off and crawled closer to her again, lifting her chin as he grinned down at her.

"…you're ethereal, princess," he murmured and brushed his lips against hers. She shivered at the contact of his lips and nearly melted when he pressed them against hers. Damn, he was really setting the bar high for himself. Probably higher than he wanted.

"You're…amazing," he sighed and kissed her again. She could feel her heart race in her chest and her brain get hazy.

"Beautiful…magnificent," he mumbled between kisses as he pulled her closer. Marinette could feel her body respond immediately to his touch, and it drove her mad how little her libido had gone down since she had started taking the T blockers.

"…gorgeous…alluring…so cute…" he continued and slipped his hands over her small hips. She whimpered when he took her bottom lip between his teeth.

"Fantastic," he breathed before almost literally diving back in for more. He pushed her back against her bed and resumed his mouth with hers, desperately kissing her and holding her body close. She gasped and moaned as he kissed over her face and down her neck.

"C-chat…o-oh…" she stuttered as his hands ventured over her legs and back up to her waist. He wasn't even trying to control himself as he kissed his way to her mouth again. She accepted his kisses and wrapped her arms around his neck. The only thing that jerked her back to reality was the feeling of his hand against her lower abdomen. She ripped his mouth from hers and pulled his hand away from that area. Chat had never gone this far with her before, so he was baffled as to why she had stopped him.

"P-please…not there," she pleaded as red bursted across her face. Adrien had to take a moment to reorientate himself before understanding what was happening.

"Sorry…I wasn't thinking," he replied and sat up to get off her. She sat up as well and shimmied herself a little further away from him, clutching her legs to her chest and trying to calm her heart rate.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Um…I dunno," she said.

"I didn't mean to go that far…I swear it was an accident," he spoke softly.

"I-I wasn't thinking either," she admitted avoiding eye contact. She was too embarrassed to meet his eyes. It was now incredibly awkward between them. Chat scratched the back of his head and couldn't help but look around her room. Everything looked neat and orderly which contrasted against how clumsy she was. He found it interesting and endearing.

"Um…" he didn't know what he was going to say. His brain was majorly freaking out because he had almost gotten to second base. Or was it third? He didn't understand baseball, nor did he care about it.

"Thank you," she spoke. Chat finally felt the permission to look at her and did.

"For what?"

"For…respecting my boundaries," she answered and shifted her big blue eyes over at him.

"You don't need to thank me for that, is should be something everyone does," he replied. She paused for a moment looking around her room and then back at him.

"I suppose you're right. I guess I'm not used to it," she murmured. Chat frowned when he heard that. She shifted closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You're so sweet, Chat," she sighed. He smiled down at her and moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders and hold her closer.

"So sweet."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: fantastic

Nino was blabbing again. He often goes on and on and on about something that Adrien has no knowledge of whatsoever. Usually he did it during lunch or somewhere that's no class, but for some reason he can't shut up during physics. It got to the point where the teacher warned him twice to be quite. Still, that boy proceeded to yak on and on. It was driving Adrien insane listening to his theories and thoughts about a game he's never even heard of. Nino might be his best friend, but sometimes it's too much.

"Nino! This is the last time! Stop talking!" The teacher shouted. Nino appeared un-phased by the teachers outburst and merely continued to chat to an unresponsive Adrien who was covering his ears.

"Switch seats with Alya, now!" She ordered.

Nino finally stopped talking and sighed before standing up. Alya groaned, but it sounded so fake that Adrien instantly became suspicious. She sat down next to him and the teacher continued talking. Adrien sighed, happy to get a break from Nino's relentless chattering. He laid his chin down in his arms as he kept his gaze on the board when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and gave an annoyed look to the girl next to him.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you see Mar today? Smokin' right?" She questioned.

Adrien looked over his shoulder at Marinette. Her hair was definitely starting to grow out to the point that she had to tuck it behind her ears to get anything done. It was incredibly endearing, but not as endearing as the dainty jewelry hanging from her neck. It was a silver ladybug strung on a white silver chain, the metal glistening in the sunlight that streamed through the window. Her eyes were as big and doe-like as ever, and he could even make out a thin line of brown feathered right at her lashes.

"I guess," he responded looking away with a pink face.

"Mar is like so cute, she's just so pretty all the time and like her hair is so soft," Alya continued. Adrien was surprised to hear Alya refer to Marinette with her correct pronouns. Mostly because according to them Adrien Agreste had no idea Marinette was trans.

"Really? I've never felt it," he murmured, trying to stay quiet and keeping his eyes o the board.

"It's soooo soft, you have to feel it. I'll make sure you do because it's just soooooo soft."

"Mh-hmm."

"And like, her eyes are so big with mascara. Because she always complained before that she has tiny Asian eyes, by like she's only half Chinese so they're honestly not that small and the makeup makes them look so much bigger. She's honestly like the cutest thing I've ever seen-"

"Are you gay for her?" He interrupted, not interested in Alya telling him things he already knew. Alya turned bright red, but then blinked as she remembered he wasn't supposed to know she was trans.

"W-what?" She stuttered. He turned to make eye contact with her.

"Are you gay for Marinette?" He repeated. Alya's eyes widened. She was certain he didn't know her real name.

"H-how did you-"

"Not you too, Alya!" The teacher whined.

"Marque! Switch places with Alya, please!" The teacher begged. Adrien whipped his head back to see a pink faced Marinette start to stand up and trade places with Alya. Alya kept a stern stare on him as she walked around the desk and in to Marinette's spot.

"Thank you. Now, back to the lesson…"

Adrien watched as Marinette settled in to the seat next to his, her face a cute shade of pink as he caught a glimpse of her outfit for the day. She wore a tee shirt as usual but lacked her blazer. Instead of jeans she wore a pair of printed tights under a pair of shorts. It took him a moment to distinguish the pattern on her legs, and his eyes widened as he realized it was a cat pattern. Her hair was held back with a pair of black pins so you could only tell it was pinned up close, but a piece still hung in her face. Adrien was no longer concerned with physics.

He was 100% focused on her. The thought of last night made him crave her affections again. Her warm body snuggled close against his side as he ran his fingers through her hair. He couldn't properly feel the softness due to his gloves, but he so desperately wanted to. It was hard to remember how he started to like Marinette, but it was easy to completely fall head over heels for her when he suspected that she was BeetleBug with him as Chat Noir. Once he suspected the pieces merely fell in to place. It explained her courage and strength and charisma, but it also explained her insecurity. Being known as "BeetleBug" when you're actually a girl must be hard to deal with. Her suit more resembled a ladybug, but because it had the word 'lady' the media labeled her as BeetleBug.

It didn't take long for him to realize she knew he was staring at her. Her body was stiff and she looked like she wanted to run away and escape his gaze. He tore his gaze away from her and tried to keep it away, but it was rather difficult considering he could smell her sweet scent of vanilla. It was probably from the bakery considering how natural and faint it smelled. He wanted to bury his face in her hair just to be consumed by the heavenly scent. As he kept his gaze off of her he found himself intensely staring at a spot on his desk instead. He probably looked insane just glaring an invisible spot on his desk, but Marinette's comfort matter more than his gratification from her appearance. Last night was still gnawing at the back of his mind.

Marinette was freaking out on the inside. Adrien Agreste had been staring at her for the first five minutes she was sitting next to him. Now he was staring at his desk like a mad man. She couldn't resist sneaking a couple peeks at him, and the second time she did he looked at her too and her heart skipped a beat as they made eye contact. She instantly snapped her attention to the board, her heart racing in her chest while he continued to blatantly stare at her. Her eyes skipped over to him once for a split second and then allowed them to linger the second time. He smiled at her and she smiled back nervously.

Adrien quickly eyed the teacher who was talking loudly and clearly while paying complete attention to the board. He ripped out a piece of paper from his notebook and scrawled a fast note before discreetly passing it over to Marinette. She cautiously accepted the note and read the words in front of her.

A: Alya talks a lot about you

Marinette frowned and glared back at her best friend. Alya was confused and shrugged at her expression. The heroine sighed and turned back to the note. She quickly scribbled her reply and slid the paper back to Adrien.

M: She can get that way. Sorry if she bored you to death :P

Adrien silently chuckled at the cute emoticon face and eagerly replied. He passed it back and watched her read and react.

A: It's okay. She wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know

Confusion struck Marinette's face as she replied.

M: What did she tell you?

A: Mostly about how pretty and cute you are. She talked about your hair and your eyes a little, and I'll admit I didn't know your hair was so soft

The girl instantly turned beat red as she read the information Adrien had given her. When she looked over at him he was smiling and patiently waiting for her response. She then looked over at Alya who was napping instead of paying attention. Of course…

M: You already knew that?

Her handwriting was shaky. Mostly because of how nervous she was from him potentially telling her she's pretty and cute. Adrien's smile widened as he read the page, and it made her even more anxious.

A: Of course. A girl as cute as you is undeniable

Marinette's stomach flipped when she read the treacherous words. She looked at him with worried eyes and he simply smiled, as if to say it was okay.

"H-how did you know?" She whispered. Adrien's smile turned sympathetic from the tone of her voice.

"Lucky guess…I could just tell," he replied quietly. She gnawed nervously on the inside of her cheek.

"So…i-it's not weird or anything?" She asked. Adrien shook his head.

"Of course not," he assured her. She smiled in response and he took back the paper to write another note to her.

A: you're fantastic


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: affections

"Mm…Chat," Marinette breathed against his lips as he desperately pressed against hers for more.

"Marinette…" he sighed and continued to kiss her despite her attempts to capture his attention.

"Chat…listen," she murmured. She wasn't trying very hard to get him to stop. It was due to how intoxicating his lips were and how much of a sucker she was when he stimulated her like this. She finally mustered the strength to pull his mouth away from hers and breath.

"Chat…we need to talk," she told him.

"Mm…you can talk. I'll kiss," he mumbled and pressed kisses down her neck.

"That's the thing, Chat. I-I can't keep doing this with you," she said. Chat's lips came to a halt as he pulled back.

"What?"

"I-I really like Adrien, Chat. I can't keep doing this when I'm not completely devoted to you, it doesn't feel right," she admitted.

He thought for a moment. It seemed that the more he pursues her as Adrien, the less likely she will make out with him as Chat. He was attempting to figure the amount of time he'd be able to kiss her again if he solely dedicated his efforts towards her as Adrien and he was not liking the numbers.

"Hmm…I dunno, princess. I think I'll go insane going so long without your kisses," he said and leaned in again to kiss her once more. She was either to slow to stop him or letting him do it because he was honestly not expecting to actually get the chance to kiss her. It was only for a moment, but it was a moment of pure bliss for Adrien. He could only tease her for so long before needing her himself.

"I'm serious, Chat. I-I know that you like me, but I just need to focus on one person at a time," she explained. He frowned.

"Okay, princess. I'm gonna suggest something crazy, are you ready?"

"Uh, sure?"

"How about you not do that, and we continue what we were previously doing," he proposed. Marinette frowned and glared at him.

"I already told you-"

"And I've already told you that I only want you…" he hushed, holding his finger over her lips and dropping his voice to a whispered as he stared down in to those deep blue eyes. She blinked up at him and blushed.

"Trust me, Mari. Adrien Agreste isn't going anywhere," he promised and leaned in again. He moved his finger out of the way last minute before kissing her for probably the hundredth time. The memory of her blushing at the notes he wrote her fueled his desire for her. She sighed against his lips and gave up trying to fight him. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

"Chaton méchant," she muttered between kisses and pulled away for air.

"Mignonne princesse," he replied with a cat-like grin. She rolled her eyes and pulled herself off of his lap and back on to her bed.

"Now we should stop because I don't want another repeat of last night," she told him. He chuckled and laid down on her pillows.

"Wouldn't that be fun?" He said sarcastically. Marinette's phone went off in her pocket before she could respond and she promply answered Alya's call as a voice call rather than a video call.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Girl! You didn't tell me you were getting your nails done!" She shrieked over the phone. Marinette held it a safe distance from her ear and cringed at Alya's volume.

"Girl, you didn't tell me you were bragging about me to Adrien in class today," she retorted sounding annoyed.

"Oops! How did you find out?" She asked.

"He told me," she answered.

"Aaaaaand? What did he say?"

"He…said he already knew that stuff," she muttered stubbornly. Chat smirked at the conversation she was having as he sat up and moved himself to rest his head against her shoulder.

"Oh my god! Really? Holy shit!"

"H-he also knew about me being trans…did you tell him?"

"No, but I did use your correct pronouns around him without thinking. Although he also knows your real name too. I don't know how he figured that out."

"Gee, maybe it's because whenever we talk you say my name really loudly," she replied sarcastically as she felt Chat's lips against her nape. He was pulling locks of hair out of his way as he gently pressed his lips against her skin.

"Maybe. I dunno, I'll have to do some investigating."

"Please, for the love of God, don't do any investigat-ah!" She gasped as she felt Chat's tongue slowly drag against her skin and his hands wander under her shirt.

"What was that? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine, I just uh saw a bug and i-it scared me," she lied while Chat chuckled and deepened his kiss on her neck.

"A bug? C'mon girl, you're tougher than that," Alya scoffed. Marinette shivered and tried to control her breath as he gently dragged his gloved claws over her ribs. It was strange just how arousing that was mixed with his hot wet mouth on her nape.

"I-it's really big! L-like huge, a-and…i-it's kinda annoying," she uttered the last part trying the elbow Chat's arm. He laughed to himself and moved to press her body up against his. Because he was so much taller than her it was easy to maneuver his head to kiss her jaw.

"Annoying? I thought it was scary."

"I-it is! S-so scary, I-I'm shaking," she stuttered holding back a moan while he touched over her legs and sucked on her skin. It was harder to control her lungs.

"Girl, are you okay? You sound out of breath," Alya noticed.

"Uh, a-actually I'm not okay, I got so scared I ran," she lied and bit her lip to hold back any audible reactions as his grip tightened around her thighs and he sunk his teeth in to her neck. She reached up to cover the microphone part of her phone and whimpered as he sweetly licked and kissed the same spot his harsh teeth attacked.

"I'll let you take care of that bug thing. Hope you don't die," Alya said.

"O-okay, I-I'll talk to you lat-ah!" She couldn't hold back the moan as he pressed her tighter against his body.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"N-nothing! I'm j-just crazy! B-bye!" She shouted as she quickly hung up the phone and slammed it down on her bed.

"Crazy, huh? Maybe crazy sexy," Chat teased and gently licked her jaw. His hands were at her hips, holding her against him. She could feel every inch of his body against her back.

"S-shut up, I thought you agreed we don't want another repeat."

"Mm…I'm not going to touch you there, princess," he murmured and pressed his tongue against the shell of her ear. She shivered and grabbed one of her pillows to cover her lap.

"T-that doesn't mean you can touch anywhere and everywhere else. I still have boundaries."

"I'm so sorry, princess. I was just exploring where those boundaries happen to be," he purred and reached under the pillow to tease around her inner thighs.

"Is this okay?" He asked and kissed her jaw sweetly. Marinette was bright tomato red and pressed the pillow down to protect herself more.

"A-absolutely not," she replied trying to move his hands away. He complied and moved to her knees.

"Okay, is this better?" He murmured and sweetly feathered kisses against the faint mark he had left just now.

"I guess…just don't go any further," she pleaded. He chuckled and repositioned himself to give her some space and wrap his arms around her waist as he nuzzled in to her nape.

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to tease you," he admitted and kissed her nape.

"I could tell, chaton méchant," she scolded. Chat grinned and flipped her back in to his lap, holding her close by the small of her back and examining her wide blue eyes. He briefly bit his bottom lip before leaning in and kissing her.

"Tu es…parfait," he whispered.

"Je suis ordinaire. Tu es bête," she replied and let her hands rest on his broad shoulders. He chuckled.

"You underestimate yourself, princess," he said and pressed his lips to hers for the millionth time.

She accepted his affections, although she didn't know why anymore. She was sure she had some kind of reason as to why she had allowed this relationship to go so far, but now it was a blur. Maybe it was because she could never imagine someone falling for who she used to be and still continue to love her as her true self. He never actually told her he loved her, but she wouldn't be surprised if he did. Perhaps that's why she started it. The affection felt nice, and she found herself wanting more. She wanted to be loved and he was more than eager to love her.

His lips drifted off to her neck and she took a calming deep breath. He gingerly kissed the small Mark that was forming on her neck. It was mostly red at the moment, but it would indubitably turn purple by the time she went to bed. Him kissing it wasn't helping it either. He purred as he sucked on her skin, almost squeezing her as she clutched his shoulders. If only she could love him as much as he loved her.

translations:

Chaton méchant = naughty kitten

Mignonne princesse = cute princess

Tu es parfait = you are perfect

Je suis ordinaire = I'm normal/ordinary

Tu es bête = you are silly/stupid


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: love letters

Marinette walked in to class feeling embarrassed. She wore a scarf over a high collard shirt, but was still paranoid that someone could see the mark left on her neck. These frisky nights were getting a bit too frisky for her. She was seriously considering putting a halt to her activities with Chat Noir but every time she tried his tongue persuaded her in more than one way. She cursed his kissing skills as well as her susceptibility to said skills. The estrogen was supposed to decrease her sex drive. That was yet to happen.

The girl sighed and took her usual seat next to Alya. She ignored her friend and opted to lay her head down on her desk. Although she didn't miss much sleep last night, resisting Chat so much really exhausted her. Once he left she had to force herself to take a long cold shower. Stupid cat…

"How did your bug problem go last night?" Alya asked as she observed her tired friend. Marinette blinked at her and furrowed her brows.

"What?"

"Last night on the phone you said there was a scary bug. Did you take care of it?" She reiterated. Adrien, who had been sitting in his seat quietly waiting for class to start, couldn't help but perk his ears in the direction of their conversation.

"Oh…yeah. I got rid of it," she muttered and rubbed the irritation from her eyes.

"Did you get your dad to help? It sounded like you were really scared."

"Uh, I was exaggerating. It wasn't that bad. I managed to get rid of it, but it was a pain to get out," she replied bitterly, talking more about a mischievous cat rather than the nonexistent bug. Adrien couldn't help but feel as if she was talking about Chat Noir…and instantly felt guilty for bothering her.

"That's good. It didn't fuck with your sleep, did it?"

"No…it was just exhausting to take care of," she murmured. Not that she was trying too hard in the first place, it was more of persuading herself to get him away.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you last night because of that bug, but…" Alya hesitated and looked down at the blond in front of them. He had his head turned slightly towards the door which made her suspicious. She scooted closer to Marinette.

"Adrien was really weird yesterday," she whispered in her ear. Marinette raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked at her friend.

"Why are you whispering? And do you think I didn't notice? He was-"

"Shhhh! I think he's listening," she shushed and looked back at the blond who was still trying to catch any string of words. Unfortunately their voices were indistinguishable and quiet.

"You're crazy, but I'll play along," Marinette whispered back.

"Great. He was super weird yesterday. Like he was totally ignoring my great wingman skills for you and then he asked me if I was gay for you. Do you know what that means?" She asked maintaining her low voice. Marinette furrowed her brows and shook her head.

"I'm lost."

"It means that he knows!"

"We already established that last night," Marinette hissed.

"I know! But how long has he known?" Alya demanded to know.

"I'm not sure. All he said was that he could just tell," Marinette answered.

"Ugh! That's not good enough," she sighed. Marinette frowned and remembered the paper she and Adrien had passed back and forth. She had kept it for obvious reasons and because she figured he wouldn't want it back. She pulled it out of her bag and handed it to Alay.

"What's this?"

"We were passing notes to each other yesterday," she told her.

"Oh…oh!" She spoke at a louder than normal volume, causing both the boys in front of them to look back at her. Adrien took this moment to glance at the paper in Alya's hand and failed to hold back a smirk tugging at his lips. He instantly recognized it as the paper he had used to chat with Marinette the previous day. Alya's eyes widened out of embarrassment while Marinette's body stiffened when Adrien looked at the paper.

"Can I help you guys?" Alya asked sarcastically and impatiently.

"What's going on? You sound excited about something," Nino said and leaned his elbows on the girls' desk to get a better view at the paper in Alya's hands.

"N-nothing! Nothing is happening!" Marinette squeaked and pulled the paper from Alya's hands and stuffing it back in her bag. Adrien bit his lip to stop himself from smiling so wide at how cute she was. He looked up at her and let his lip go to give her a knowing smile. Her cheeks blossomed like roses in the summer and she could feel her heart skip a beat. She wanted to die in that instant so she wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment of getting caught showing their notes to her best friend.

"Uh…okay?" That was the only response Nino could come up with.

"Class is gonna start soon, so pay attention to the teacher," Alay scolded. Nino sighed and turned his attention back to the front. Adrien was a little more hesitant to do the same, but eventually joined his friend.

"Oh my god, do you see what I'm talking about? He's acting weird," Alya whispered suddenly. Marinette yelped and slapped her hand over her mouth to stop it, but it was already loud and clear.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on over-"

"Mind your business, Nino, this is a private conversation," she snapped. He groaned and Adrien laughed.

"C'mon, dude, let it go," he encouraged patting his friends back.

"Ugh, I'll never understand the bond between girls and gay guys," he mumbled. Adrien felt a pulse of anger through his body at his friend's choice of words. He tried to calm down by reminding himself that Nino didn't know, and that if he did he'd (hopefully) use the correct pronouns and such.

"I think they're just good friends. It has nothing to do with gay guys and girls," Adrien said, resisting the urge to snap at his clueless friend. He was already scolded by Alay, he didn't need to make him feel worse.

"I suppose you're right. Marque and Alya are just tight," he sighed again as the teacher walked in and glared at him.

"You, young man, are still in the seat I assigned yesterday," she informed him. Marinette felt her heart stop when she heard those words. Did that mean…

"Switch spots with Marque again. He's the only one who doesn't gnaw my ears off with useless conversations," she instructed. A smile spread across Adrien's face without his knowledge, and he was mentally worshiping his physics teacher. This class was the best.

"Ugh," Nino groaned and reluctantly sat up. Marinette was quiet as she gathered her bag and traded places with Nino and settled in her spot next to Adrien. She avoided eye contact at first, but soon sneaked a peek and was instantly met with happy green eyes and a smile.

"Welcome back," he greeted. She smiled weakly in return.

"Uh thanks," she replied awkwardly.

"How was your sleep?" He asked. As she formulated her response she noticed the sincerity of his voice…as if he was genuinely interested in her well-being and not just attempting at small talk.

"Oh um, it was fine…h-how about you?"

"Eh, I got home kinda late, so not the best but not the worst," he said. She started to talk again, but was quickly cut off when the teacher called for everyone's attention. She started class and Marinette instantly felt the boredom of her lecture sink in. She felt something nudge her arm and was surprised to see Adrien passing another piece of paper over to her.

A: nice scarf

Marinette felt like she wanted to disappear. Was this an attempt to tease her? To show her that he saw the notes in Alya's hands? It seemed a bit early in the lecture to start passing notes, but she went along with it anyways.

M: thanks I made it myself

A: oh that's really cool. It's kinda warm for a scarf tho

M: When it's warm outside the AC is always too cold inside

A: that makes sense

Marinette tried to come up with a reply, completely oblivious to Adrien's green eyes that were observing everything he could about her. From the furrow of her brows to the way she bit her lip in concentration he drank up her image like a starving cat lapping at a bowl of milk. A lock of hair fell over her face from the pins she had carefully placed, and Adrien felt the instant urge to pull it back in its place. Considering his lack of control around her, he wasn't surprised to feel himself reaching out to do so. Just as he was about to come in to contact with her hair she looked over at him. His immediate reaction was to pull back and blush.

"Um s-sorry, there was a piece of hair i-in your face," he told her.

"Oh," she found the hair he was talking about and easily fixed it back in place under her pins.

"Thanks," she smiled and handed him her response.

M: also it looks really cute and I'm willing to make a sacrifice for fashion

Adrien chuckled at the page and smiled at her pretty handwriting. It wasn't perfect, but it was legible so he found it pretty. He grabbed his pencil and scrawled out his response when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat from above him. He looked up and met the rather displeased gaze of his physics teacher. She glanced down at the paper and back at him, and he felt sheepish to be caught.

"Passing notes, Mr. Agreste?" She questioned.

"Um…" his brain was drawing a blank. She took the paper from him and shook her head.

"Just because you have a rich father don't think I won't punish you. I'll let you off on a warning this time, although I'm quite interested in what could possibly be more important than your education," she scolded and read the paper. Adrien turned red, and wished she had grabbed it before he had written down his response. The teacher sighed.

"'It's a good thing you always look cute, not much of a sacrifice needed.' Honestly, Mr. Agreste, leave the love letters to a minimum during class," she said folding the paper. Marinette felt her face get hot from what the teacher had read from the page and glanced over at an entirely red-faced Adrien. He had his head buried in his arms out of embarrassment. Did he really write that? Based on his reaction there was a good possibility he did.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: nails

"Ohhhh! You should do red! Red always looks so good on you," Alya grinned as the three women looked through the nail polish rack.

"I agree. In China red is often the symbol of good fortune and happiness," Sabine informed her daughter. Marinette looked at the red presented to her.

"I dunno. It's a pretty color, but it's a bit much for now. I don't think I'm comfortable wearing that on my nails just yet," she admitted. Sabine smiled and put a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"That's okay, you can get a French tip. It's very subtle," she assured her. Marinette smiled up at her mom.

"Thanks mom."

"Well, if you're not gonna get this color then I will. Do you see all the sparkles in it? I should get my accent nail painted black as a tribute to BeetleBug! I'm sure he'd be charmed if he sees it, and then we'll be best friends and eat ice cream together and maybe I could do his nails too!" Alya rambled whilst searching for a black polish. Marinette and Sabine giggled at the excited girl and picked out softer colors. Marinette settled on a sheer pink for the base and a nice white for the tip. Although she wasn't quite sure if she would have much of a tip left after all her nerves from transitioning. Her mother picked a soft mauve.

"I heard that people designated male at birth have larger hands than people designated female do, but you've always had such small hands I couldn't believe that. Like our hands are about the same size and you've got such dainty seamstress hands," Alya continued once she found the color she was looking for.

"Where did you hear that?" Sabine asked.

"I read it on Wikipedia. Which I know, sounds unreliable, but I checked the source and that website seemed rather trustworthy. Anyways, I thought that was interesting," she said.

"Marque has alwa-oops! Sorry," Sabine apologized. It was hard to adjust, but she was honestly trying her best. After 16 years of calling her daughter Marque it was going to be hard to change.

"Don't sweat, mom. It was a mistake," Marinette smiled. Her parents rarely slipped up, but when they did they always seemed more guilty than Marinette was upset. She understood it wasn't just her making changes and cut them some slack the rare moments that they messed up.

"What I meant to say was Marinette has always had softer features. Her eye shape is kind of a mixture between mine and Tom's, but her chubby cheeks and pretty lips come from me," Sabine continued and pinched Mari's cheek.

"Mo-oom," Marinette groaned and rubbed at her now red cheek. Alya giggled.

"Aw, that's cute! I always thought you looked more like your mom," she said pinching Mari's other cheek. She frowned and crossed her arms with now two red cheeks.

"You guys are patronizing me," she grumbled. Both the ladies laughed, and were soon escorted to the nail station. There was two desks per row, so Sabine let Marinette and Alya sit together while she sat in the row next to them. At first Mari was a bit hesitant since it was originally just her and her mother, but Sabine insisted and told her she was already planning on inviting Alya. The two friends sat in their seats as the nail ladies started to groom their fingers. Mari looked back to her mother over her shoulder and she was rambling with her nail person in Mandarin.

"How do you want your nails shaped, honey?" The lady asked, turning her attention back in front of her.

"Um, I dunno?" She replied.

"I think rounded nails look cute, but they break easy," Alya told her.

"Oh, what shape do you suggest?" Mari asked.

"Hmm, your nails look long enough to be squared with rounded edges."

"Okay…what she said," Mari told the lady. She smiled and started filing at her nails.

"So, we didn't get a chance to talk about what happened in class yesterday," Alya spoke with a smirk. Marinette's body stiffened and she swallowed hard.

"W-what are you talking about?" She stuttered.

"You know what I'm talking about. 'It's a good thing you always look cute, not much of a sacrifice needed.' With love, Adrien Agreste," Alya teased. Mari wanted to hit her head on the table, but that would be rude to the woman she was currently employing. She shifted her feet and tapped the tips of her shoes together out of nerves.

"Uh, that was nothing, really," she muttered and looked up at the ceiling to avoid her eyes.

"C'mon Mari. That was the second time you two were passing notes in class. I think there's some romance starting to bloom between you and your dream guy," she hummed. Mari blushed at the thought of cheesy romance between her and the blond. She was never a fan of the cheesy stuff like arguing who would hang up first or cutesy pet names, but thinking about him in that context made her want to faint from the potential cuteness.

"I doubt it. He's just being friendly," she mumbled.

"Girl, stop lying to yourself. There's something there. I think you should ask him to the movies."

"I already tried that, don't you remember?" She reminded her.

"Well that was before he was showing signs that he likes you."

"I stole his phone because I couldn't even talk to him properly."

"While that's true, I think you can ask him in person this time," Alya said with confidence.

"No. It's not happening. He's probably being extra nice because…" she trailed off and frowned, not exactly wanting to out herself to the two ladies doing their nails. She had no idea how well she passed.

"…you know why," she sighed.

"Oh, c'mon girl! You don't really think he's treating you like a charity case, do you?" She questioned.

"H-he might! I dunno what he's thinking. All I know is that he's being nicer than usual, and I have no other choice but to be cautious. I'm not out to everybody, so I haven't faced a negative reaction yet. I dunno how he thinks of me," she defended. Alya frowned. It was hard to remember how dangerous her friend's life was now as a trans girl. She's read the statistics, and they weren't too up lifting.

"I know it's hard to be optimistic about things in your shoes, and I'm not gonna pretend like I'll ever understand how scary it is to be you. But I really don't think Adrien is that kinda person. He's nice, but he's also genuine. Like he's polite to Chloé, but won't hesitate to call her out on her bull-crap. I think if he was just being nice he wouldn't have passed notes back and forth and called you cute," she said gingerly. Marinette sighed again and let the lady start to paint her fingernails.

"Boys are so…ugh," she groaned and pouted.

"Look, how about this. Instead of just you and Adrien going to the movies, Nino and I could come too like last time. That way it wouldn't be mistaken as a date, and it would be less stressful because I'll be there," Alya suggested. Marinette thought about her proposal for a moment as she watched the polish glide on her nails like liquid glass.

"I guess that would work…but what would we go and see? It can't be anything too raunchy or romantic because that would be embarrassing."

"Hmm, how about an action-adventure movie? That'll keep the excitement going."

"All action movies have some sort of unnecessary sex scene in it. Could you imagine how awkward that would be sitting next to Adrien and watching a secret agent bone his assistant?" She hissed.

"Okay okay, you have a good point. What about a thriller? Maybe he's supper scared of those kinds of movies and needs someone's arm to hold on to to ease his fear? Good cuddling opportunity," she said and smirked with triumph from her amazing idea.

"Well then we're both gonna be crying on each other's shoulders because I'm terrified of those movies!" Marinette whined, her body clenching in fear at the mere mention. Alya's eyes sparked and her grin widened.

"That would be twice as much cuddling! We're definitely seeing a thriller!" She decided. Marinette whined again.

"Nooo! I-I might cry! He can't see me crying!" She protested.

"Well maybe if you cry, he'll escort you out and you guys can hang out by yourselves in the lobby until it's over. Men are suckers for a damsel in distress."

"I swear you want me to date him more than I do," Mari pouted.

"I'm just a great wingman, girl. Besides, we both know that's not true."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: hate

Marinette opened the link that Alya had sent to her on her phone. Her weekend so far had been filled with staring at her newly polished nails and watching beauty videos that Alya sent her. The window that popped up from the link had a video that went through how to curl eyelashes for mono lids and other eastern Asian eye shapes. While Marinette's weren't exactly mono lids, they weren't exactly a European shape either. The girl on the screen was incredibly beautiful, and her eyes looked so cute. She happily watched the video, but had to pause when she heard a tap on her trapdoor above her. Chat hadn't visited her in a while, so she was curious as to why.

"Evening, princess," Chat greeted when she opened the hatch.

"I haven't seen you in a while, chaton," she said as she allowed him to slid on other bed.

"I figured I bothered you enough last time, I should give you a break," he replied and closed the hatch to block out the cold Parisian air.

"Well that was quite a short break, maybe you should extend it," she teased and poked his nose. He wrinkled it in response and smiled.

"Sorry, but this is my limit, your majesty. Any longer and I would've gone insane without a kiss," he spoke in a low voice and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. She giggled, accidentally splitting their lips and shaking her head. She placed a finger over his lips and pushed him back.

"I was serious last time. I only have so much affection to give you, petite chaton," she reminded him. He frowned.

"You don't expect me to go cold turkey, do you?" He questioned. He knew it was probably better if he stopped visiting her as Chat and completely focused his efforts on her as Adrien, but his impatience to kiss her always outweighed his logic. She hummed and removed her finger to place a chaste and gentle kiss to his lips. When she pulled back he blinked. It was frustrating how much of a slave he felt to her after a simple kiss.

"That's enough kissing for today," she told him and patted the space on her bed.

"But I'm all open for cuddling," she smiled. Once he snapped out of the spell her lips had placed over him he smiled back and crawled over to lean against her pillows and pulled her between his legs. She squeaked and giggled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"No touching anywhere else," she told him sternly with a grin. He nodded and nuzzled against her nape and pressing a short kiss to her skin.

"And not too much of that either," she added and resumed the video on her phone. Chat peered over her shoulder at her screen and tried to follow along with the video. Unfortunately he has never seen a makeup tutorial in his life.

"What's this?" He asked.

"It's a video Alya sent me. It's teaching me how to curl my eyelashes," she replied.

"Curl your eyelashes? How do you do that?" He questioned.

"Watch." She pointed to the metal tool on the screen and continued to listen to the guru behind the screen. He watched intently and followed along.

"You use that on your eye? It looks like a torture device," he commented.

"It might as well be. They're a pain to use," she murmured.

"Wow, her lashes to point straight down. I had no idea that was possible."

"My moms eyelashes does that, but mine don't stick that far down."

"You have paw-sitively beautiful eyelashes, princess," he purred and kissed her jaw.

"You're a guy, you don't know anything about eyelashes," she replied continuing to watch the tutorial. Chat hummed and pressed another kiss to her jaw, this time slower. He followed with a third and a fourth before he found himself kissing down her neck and gently sucking at the sink he had marked before. Marinette didn't notice until he pinched her skin with her teeth and nearly dropped her phone.

"I-I told you not too much," she stuttered. He dragged his tongue down over her clavicle and chuckled.

"My apologizes, but I really do find you irresistible," he breathed and turned her chin to look down at her red face.

Her eyes were wide and her brows knit. He bit his lip and leaned down to reconnect their lips. Her phone completely slipped from her fingers while he softly sucked on her lower lip and dragged his teeth over her plump flesh. She whimpered out of conflicting emotions. Why did she keep letting this happen? Whenever it was time for her to put her foot down she was putty in his hands. He cupped her cheek as he deepened the kiss and pressed his tongue against hers. It was pathetic that he was legitimately trying to leave her lips alone. He continued the kiss a little longer before pulling back and looking down at her with half lidded eyes. She stared up at him, her breath a little heavier as she tried to reorient herself.

"Fuck," he cursed and rested his forehead against her nape.

"Sorry…I really didn't mean to…god, Marinette," he sighed and squeezed her affectionately.

"I…um…i-it's…" Mari didn't know what to say. If she said it was okay he would think it was okay to do it again, but what else would she say? She could tell he was upset with himself, but she had no idea how to comfort him.

"Mari…I gotta tell you something," he murmured. Marinette could feel his heart hammering against her back. That wasn't exactly a good sign.

"Yeah?"

"I…you know that I like you, and…what I'm trying to say is…fuck, why is this so hard?" He muttered and pulled back to nervously run his hand through his hair. Marinette peeked over her shoulder before turning to face him.

"What is it?" She asked. Adrien could feel his nerves start to rattle. He knew the outcome if he told her how he feels, but he just had to say it. His impatience was already thin enough, he couldn't wait to tell her this as Adrien. He had to tell her now. He had to have her now.

"Marinette, I'm-" he was interrupted by the sound of Marinette's phone going off.

"Oh, hold on," she said and answered the call. He was both relieved and distraught to escape the conversation, but figured it was for the better. Besides, he still needed to investigate her further to confirm she was really BeetleBug.

"Alya? I haven't finished watching the video yet," Marinette said.

"I don't care about that. I just remembered that you didn't show me the page of notes you and Adrien swapped!" She claimed.

"Oh, right!" Marinette reached over to her page and pulled out the sheet. She snapped photos of the front and back before sending them to her friend.

"I just sent them," she announced.

"Okay, I'm reading it right now," Alya replied.

"Okay, can I talk to you later? I'm in the middle of something," she said glancing up at Chat.

"Oh my god! Literally all he's doing is flirting with you!" Alya shouted loud enough that even Chat heard her.

"W-what?" She stuttered turning red.

"Oh my god, girl! This guy is so in to you! 'A girl as cute as you is undeniable'! Girl _you're_ in denial," she continued to scream. Marinette sighed and mouthed the word 'sorry' to Chat.

"It's okay," he assured her, taking this time to calm himself down.

"Alya, I swear to god you're making this stuff up. There's no way Adrien is 'so in to' me. I-I mean it just doesn't make sense," she spoke in to the phone.

"How does it not make sense?" Alya challenged.

"I dunno. He probably has a billion model friends who are real girls," she grumbled. Adrien's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but they quickly came back down as he frowned. Did she really think that?

"You are a real girl," Alya reminded her. Marinette sighed and settled herself back in Chat's arms and leaned her head against his chest.

"You know what I mean. I couldn't imagine trying to do anything intimate with him without him being…" Marinette hesitated, and Chat waited for her to finish. Anticipation filled him to the brim as she sighed and played with the zipper on Chat's suit.

"… _grossed out_ ," she finally finished. Adrien could feel his heart crumble. He couldn't believe she actually thought that. That she even thought he didn't like her. It was absurd to him, but he bit his tongue. As much as he wanted to comfort her as Adrien he knew he was currently betraying her trust by listening so intently. She'd despise him.

"Why would he be grossed out? If he gets grossed out then good riddance he wasn't good enough for you," Alya responded.

"You don't understand, e-even I'm grossed out by it. I hate this body," she confessed and curled herself closer to Chat. He stroked her hair and cradled her even closer in a chaste way.

"Mari…"

"It's hard, Alya. I…I just wish I was born the way I was meant to be…because this is unbearable," she mumbled.

"Hey, it'll get better. You're taking hormones, and didn't you say you were saving up for that SRS bottom surgery?"

"My parents tell me they're gonna match everything I save, but it's so expensive. I don't even think health insurance pays for a chunk of it," she replied.

"It's not impossible though. It may be expensive, but it doesn't need to happen now. I know you want it now, but I'm sure one day you'll love your body," Alya assured her. Marinette gnawed on the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath.

"I hope you're right. I'll talk to you later," she said.

"Okay. I'll see you at school."

"See ya…" Marinette hung up the phone and plopped it down on her bed before burying her face in Chat's chest and wrapping her arms around him. He was silent as he rubbed her shoulder in attempt to comfort her as well as press a kiss to the top of her head.

"I hate boys," she muffled against his suit. It was only when she sniffled did he realize she was crying, and he felt awful. He gently pulled back her face so he could look down at her and smooth the tears away with his thumb. It killed him to see her like this.

"They really do suck," he agreed and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I don't like seeing you so sad, princess. I want to make you feel better," he whispered. She sniffled and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He was surprised to feel gentle and damp lips against his own and blinked when she pulled back.

"Kiss me."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Chloé sucks so much ass

She hated herself. It wasn't a matter of being weak and giving in to him. It was about him being the only guaranteed person to not be disgusted by her body. She was still too nervous and dysphoric to go past making out, but she really pushed her limits with him that night. All she wanted was to get lost in his pale lips and weave her way deeper in to his heart. Her courage ran short, but when it was running she felt like a steaming engine. Constantly buzzing and filled with fire as she sat on his lap and devoured his lips. It didn't matter because he loved her. Someone _loved_ her. He didn't even have to say it and she knew it. She didn't even have to love him back. Her heart still ached for Adrien, but Chat's hair was just as blond and his voice was just as gentle.

She didn't care. She wanted to escape the hatred she had for herself. She wanted to love herself and love her body as Alya said she would. The feel of his hands gripping her hips and smoothing over her legs might as well be her medicine. It cured everything and made the disgust melt away. His quick breaths and shy moans when she kissed over his neck and pressed her thigh between his legs made her relish in the thought that he _wanted_ her. He wanted her so bad. Her tears were quick to dry and subside as she got more and more lost in undoing the mess she knew as Chat Noir. He was the weak one, _not her_. She knew that now, and she was using it against him.

* * *

Adrien couldn't sleep. He stared up at his dark ceiling while the memories from hours ago bombarded his mind. The way she touched him without her hands, and the way she kissed him was surreal. He couldn't help but feel like she used him, but he didn't fucking care. All he cared about was making her happy, and if he offered her even an ounce of bliss from using him he would give it. He wasn't upset because she used him, he was upset because of the things she thought about herself. He was upset because she thought he would be _grossed out_ by her body. It was destroying his brain to know that Marinette Dupain Cheng could ever think he didn't like her. Because she wasn't a "real" girl? Because she was trans? That was ridiculous, he absolutely loved her. Every ounce of her, and he didn't even know why. It wasn't because there was a possibility that she was BeetleBug or because she was pretty. He just felt…drawn to her.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his almost dried hair. Once he had gotten home he knew the first thing he needed to do was shower. Of course Plagg was unhappy with him soiling his suit, but left him alone once he told him there was Camembert in his bag. The feeling of her lips still burned on his, and he couldn't stop saying her name over and over again in his head. It was driving him insane. He didn't know how to help her. The first thing that popped in to his head was to pay for her surgery. Shower her in gifts that would make her feel better and buy all the eyelash curlers she could ever want. As soon as that idea came to mind he instantly knew how stupid it was. She wasn't that kind of person. She wouldn't like being showered with money. It would come across as him buying her love, and he wanted to properly earn it.

* * *

It seemed as if the seating change between Nino and Marinette was permanent. Everyday the teacher told them to switch until they accepted their new seating arrangement and automatically went to their new correct seats. Adrien and Marinette had gotten better at passing notes to each other during lecture and seemed to work well together for table partner projects. The first couple days after the incident was a little somber and awkward, but Adrien tried his best not to let her know the reason why. He was determined to make her feel good about herself as Adrien and not as Chat Noir. Once they passed a week of being table partners their friendship only seemed to grow. They shared inside jokes and teased each other during free time and completely discarded lecture to pass notes or doodle together on a single paper.

Adrien still visited her as Chat Noir a few times in that week, and every time he left feeling weak at the knees. She vented during each visit about her feelings and he was always willing to listen. He didn't always have a way to fix her problem that wouldn't give away his identity to her, but whenever that happened their night would end with him panting and moaning her name. Of course he never had the chance to give her the same pleasure like he wanted to, but he respected her boundaries and allowed her to do as she pleased. Although it was getting increasingly harder to function around her properly as Adrien. Knowing where her hands and mouth have been on his body nearly turned him in to a puddle of nerves around her. The only way he could get a hold of himself around her was to instead focus on anything but her hands and mouth. Her eyes, or her hair, or the silly pictures they doodled together. _Anything_.

Marinette on the other hand was still oblivious as to who Chat was. She was instead focused on the hormones she was experiencing. Her hair had always grown fast, but for some reason it felt as if it was taking forever. It had been a month and three weeks and she was just shy of passing her jaw. Her mom had trimmed the back so it was the same level all across the bottom, and so she wouldn't get any split ends. Sabine offered to get hair supplements, but Marinette said she would be patient and that she didn't need it. Hopefully it would grow faster now that it was at least all one length. Adrien had notice, as had everyone else, and found it incredibly adorable. The way it framed her face and fell in her face made him want to run his fingers through it even more than when Alya first mentioned it. It was frustrating that he knew his fingers had been tangled in those black locks, yet he was still unfamiliar with its texture.

Half way through another week and Adrien found himself even deeper in the mess of his emotions. Whenever he talked to anyone he ended up being on the topic of Marinette. He preferred talking to Alya about her since he didn't have to use the wrong pronouns and name, but if he talked to her too much his secret would be revealed. Then again why would that be a bad thing? He didn't know, but there was always a slight possibility that it would make her feel like Alya was lying and spiral her deeper in to her dysphoria. He tried to keep his mouth shut, but it was impossible. He even talked to Chloé about her…but that turned out to be a mistake.

Marinette wasn't fragile, but she was still sensitive. Especially when it came to her being trans. Any indication of someone knowing about her without her knowledge made her skin crawl. She never really ran in to that problem until Adrien, and besides that it never came up again. Until one day when Chloé decided to trip her up the stairs to the opening of the school. Marinette fell on the last step, Alay just a couple steps in front of her and glaring at Chloé. Marinette's arms was scrapped on her elbows and palms. She reached for her bag but flinched at the sound of Chloé's shrill laugh.

"Nice hair style, Marque. Exceptionally feminine for you," she snarked. Marinette glared at the concrete and grunted as she stood up.

"That was uncalled for, Chloé. What do you want?" She asked clutching her elbow that stung the most.

"Oh nothing. You and Adrien have been pretty close lately, huh?" She replied. Marinette shifted her weight and clenched her jaw, looking down at the pavement and avoiding her eyes.

"S-so what? It doesn't matter," she muttered.

"It actually kinda does. Do you wanna know why?" She questioned, Sabrina standing uncomfortably behind her friend and looking away from the mayhem Chloé was causing. Marinette managed to look up at the blue-eyed blond and glared at her.

"Not really."

"It's because he doesn't shut up about you, Marque. That's why," she said harshly.

"Hey, don't talk to Mar like that," Alya hissed.

"I'm just saying," Chloé hummed in an innocent tone as she came closer to Marinette.

"Although, I do have to say if you think you're gonna turn him gay…keep dreaming. I've known Adrien since he was a baby and he's as straight as an arrow. Stop trying," she hissed. Marinette could feel her anger boil inside of her.

"You may have know Adrien longer, but you still know nothing about him," she spat. Chloé rolled her eyes.

"Oh whatever. Say what you want to make yourself feel better. Just know that he's not interested."

"You said so yourself he won't shut up about me. It's interesting how he never mentions you when I talk with him," she said. Chloé's bored expression was replace with annoyance.

"H-he won't shut up about you because you're annoying. That's all he talks about-"

"Really? I'm having a hard time believing that," Mari interrupted and crossed her arms. Chloé turned red.

"Y-you look like a girl! You're confusing him! H-he thinks that just because you look like a girl that you are one! Y-you even sound like one," she growled. Marinette laughed and placed a hand over her heart.

"You're so silly Chloé. He doesn't think I'm a girl because I look like one. He thinks I'm a girl because I am one," she claimed. As the words left her mouth she could instantly feel the regret follow with it. Alya gasped and Chloé's jaw dropped. Marinette tried to remain calm, but progressively turned redder the longer Chloé stared at her in disbelief. She backed away and pointed at Marinette.

"Y-you…y-you're a…a t-tra-"

"Chloé!" All the girls looked over at the one and only Adrien standing at the bottom of the stairs. He wore a disgusted glare pointed at Chloé and he was gripping the strap of his bag so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"You better not say what I think you're gonna say."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: close

"A-Adrien! H-he…did you hear w-what he said?" Chloé stuttered and stammered as she cowered away from Marinette. Adrien made his way up the stairs to where they all were, disgruntled with Chloé's reaction and sympathetic to what Marinette must be feeling.

"Yes, I did hear what _she_ said. The important question is did you?" He snapped. Chloé blinked up at him and glared.

"How can you condone this? It's unnatural and freaky," She sneered.

"You're one to talk! You're face has 200 pounds of unnatural!" Alya called. Chloé shot her a glare, but quickly turned back to Adrien.

"Honestly, this must be some kind of joke-"

"Chloé, shut up," Adrien said sternly. Her jaw dropped again and she gasped.

"How dare you-"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Chlo. Leave Marinette alone," he interrupted her again.

"Adrien, y-you can't really be defending him-"

" _Her_ ," he corrected.

"Because if I didn't know any better I would think you like him," she blurted. Adrien kept himself steady and still, but he couldn't stop the discomfort settle through him. Of course he liked her, but the way Chloé said it made him feel uncomfortable.

"She's my friend, of course I like her," he replied calmly. Chloé rolled her eyes. Marinette wasn't even paying attention to her, she was in too much awe that Adrien was going to such lengths to defend her.

"I mean that you have a crush on him," she snarled.

"I…" Adrien couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. He glanced over at Marinette and felt a wave of relief when he saw her. Her eyes were wide with wonder and her cheeks still flushed from when she dropped the bomb on Chloé. She looked so innocent and harmless. He couldn't let someone so shallow and heartless hurt her. He looked back at Chloé.

"That doesn't matter. Listen to me. Do not tell anyone about Marinette. You're going to pretend that this never happened, and you're not going to tell anyone about her. Got it?" He instructed.

"Oh yeah? And what if I do decide to tell everyone in the entire school?" She challenged.

"You'll only get 15% off of my father's designs instead of 50%," he threatened. Chloé's face with pale.

"W-what! You can't do that-"

"Yes. I can, and I can also take away your Agreste designs membership card," he added. She groaned.

"I don't know why you're trying so hard to protect him, but fine. I'll keep this quiet," she agreed.

"Same goes for you Sabrina," he told her. The girl nodded nervously without question. Adrien looked back at Marinette who still looked as shocked as when he first butted in. He walked over to her and gently took ahold of her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. She nodded.

"Yeah…I-I'm fine. Thank you," she replied. He gave one quick nod and picked up her bag for her when he noticed the scraps on her arms.

"C'mon, let's get you to the nurse's office," he urged and slipped his arm around her shoulders to guide her up the stairs.

Alya followed until they entered the school when the bell rung. Adrien assured her that he would take care of Mari and to tell the teacher where they were. Once they got through the crowd of kids rushing to their classrooms they got to the nurses room. The only time he let go of her was to hold the door open for her, and returned his arm around her waist instead as he brought her to the front desk and then in to the small infirmary. He stayed with her as the nurse disinfected and patched up her scrapes, and even after as she took some time to rest. The nurse had gifted her with a couple of Advil that she was more than happy to take. After that the two of them were left all alone. The nurse was at her desk out of sight from the poorly padded bed that Marinette sat on and the cold folding chair that Adrien occupied right next to her.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked for what must've been the millionth time. Marinette smiled.

"You already asked that," she told him.

"I still wanna know."

"I'm the same. I feel fine."

"Well, I want you to feel better than fine. I want you to feel great," he replied with a smile. She laughed.

"Okay then…I feel great," she said. He grinned, glancing down at her lips for a second and back to her bright blue eyes.

"That's good."

They were close. Their knees brushed against each other as he ran his finger down the seam on the side of her pink jeans. She had taken off her blazer for the nurse to properly bandage her up and was yet to put it back on. She wore a black and white striped shirt with five buttons down the front under it, and the top two were undone from sheer laziness. Over the course of the week and a half that they sat together they had gotten physically closer as well. It felt normal to touch her knees and to feel the soft hairs on her forearms. It felt natural to inch closer so their knees bumped together, his between hers and hers between his. It felt good to tuck her hair behind her ear and finally get a taste of how soft her hair actually was.

"You really didn't have to stay. You could've gone back to class," she told him as his fingers lingered behind her ear.

"And endure class without you? I don't think so," he smiled. She giggled and scratched the back of her head. Adrien found himself digging his fingers in to her hair, running his digits through the silky soft strands. He didn't mean to, but he was so thankful that he did. Her hair was even softer and better than he imagine.

"It can't be that bad without me," she said turning pink as he continued to indulge himself in her short locks.

"You're more important than you think, Mari," he told her in a serious tone. His eyes were focused on where his fingers tangled with her hair, but he didn't dare miss the expression on her face. Her smile stared to fade from the shift in his tone. Her eyes were wide as a subtle amount of shock settled over her face. Adrien Agreste was full of surprises.

"W-well…it's not like I'm vital. I'm just a person, y'know?" She stammered as his hand moved to stroke and cup her cheek. Marinette inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly in attempt to calm herself.

"You're important to me, Mari," he murmured and look down at her lips for a little longer than a second. Marinette turned red and found herself at a loss for words. The way he looked at her was so familiar, so full of love that it almost made her feel guilty for not showing the same affection. She felt nervous yet calm at the same time. He was looking at all of her. Her freckles, her made up lashes, her glossed lips, her red cheeks, and her glistening blue eyes. He wanted all of it.

"I'm sorry about Chloé. I don't know why she bothered you," he spoke.

"She said you talked about me a lot," she informed him as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. He chuckled.

"I'm surprised Alya didn't tell you that first," he smiled. She smiled back and ran her finger over the top of his knee.

"She told me you mentioned me a couple times," she admitted.

"It was more than a couple. Maybe a couple times each hour," he replied. She giggled.

"I didn't know I was such a popular subject. How do you talk about me for so long?" She asked.

"It's easy. Talking about you is gonna be harder now since Chloé is being rude."

"Oh whatever will you do?" She teased.

He laughed and she laughed along with him. His eyes darted to her lips again, but this time he found himself fixed on her mouth. The same mouth that he had kissed a hundred time without her even knowing it was him. He wanted it again. He found himself leaning closer, craving the contact and re-lacing his fingers in her soft hair. Marinette noticed him approaching and didn't hesitate to lean in as well. She stopped when she met him in the middle, and even pulled back slightly, but he only kept going and brushed his lips against hers. His breath was hot against her bottom lip, and she could feel herself start to melt.

"I'll simply get more of you," he murmured before gently pressing his lips to hers. She shivered as she usually does when he first kisses her, and he briefly bit his lower lip. She was driving him crazy, and he couldn't help but enjoy every moment. He shifted his head to kiss her again, but they both jerked back when another student entered the room. Nino stood at the door way with a mildly shocked expression and his hand holding his elbow. Adrien and Marinette both turned red as the room filled with awakened silence. It was only broken when Nino spoke.

"Well, I can't say that I'm surprised."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: neglect

Marinette turned embarrassingly red. She instantly distanced herself from Adrien and nearly fell off the bed. Nino wasn't particularly staring at them. He was rather casual, and that was one of the reasons she felt so anxious and embarrassed. Their friend walked over to the table with supplies and ducked down to grab an ice pack from the mini fridge and leaned against the counter. Adrien was a little more calm than Mari, but he was still stiff with anticipation. Marinette grabbed her blazer and her bag from the floor and stood up.

"I-I have to go," she muttered and marched out of the infirmary.

Adrien was about to beg her to stay, but figured it would be best for her nerves to get out of this situation. Nino merely waved and watched her go. Once she was gone the two boys made eye contact and Adrien looked like a mixture of guilty and disappointed. Nino cleared his throat.

"So…what are you doing in here?" He asked

"Chloé was being rude to Mar…I didn't see but she must've tripped him because he had scraps on his palms and elbows," Adrien told him, cringing internally every time he used the wrong pronoun. He hated to do it, but he had to respect her choice to remain closeted.

"Oh yeah, Alya told me that Chloé was being a bitch as usual," he murmured. It felt extremely awkward. Nino felt kinda desperate to address the elephant in the room, but wondered if it would be okay. He couldn't just ignore the fact that he walked in on his best friend kissing someone.

"I told her to leave him alone. It was really unnecessary," Adrien added.

"Yeah…so uh…you and Marque?" He asked. Adrien looked away and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh…what about me and Marque?" He played dumb, mostly because he didn't feel like having this conversation.

"Well it kinda looked like…y'know…" Nino trailed off, not really wanting to say it out loud. Adrien was honestly lost as to what he was referring to and gave him a confused look as his answer. Nino made some gestures with his hands as he continued to speak.

"It just…looked…just a tiny bit uh…gay?" He tried, but it felt awkward asking his best friend if he was gay. Adrien shrugged and looked off in the direction Marinette had left.

"I guess…"

"So are you…gay?" Nino finally asked.

Adrien sighed and still didn't look up, his lips had a faint taste of strawberries that he recognized as Marinette's lip gloss. It was a taste he cherished and craved because it meant that he actually kissed her. _Adrien_ kissed her…not Chat Noir. It was Adrien who finally got to feel the soft texture of her hair and kiss her in the middle of the nurse's office. It was Adrien who told her she was important, and she let him. He could never forget the look on her face when he told her she was important. He could never forget how nervous yet relaxed she looked with his thumb stroking her face.

"I'm really gay for Marque," he mumbled, his eyes still glued to the door. Nino blinked in surprise.

"Like just for Marque?" He questioned. Adrien nodded, again without looking up.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why Marque?" He asked curiously. Adrien sighed and finally looked up at his friend. His face was pink and his eyebrows were knit.

"I dunno. I've been trying to figure it out myself, but…i-it's unexplainable," he replied. Nino nodded.

"Okay…so does he like you?"

"Yeah, I think he does."

"Well that's good, at least he feels the same-"

"This is all really complicated, Nino. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but it's not just whether or not he likes me back," Adrien interrupted as he stood up.

"Oh, o…kay," Nino muttered as he watched his friend leave the room.

"I'll see you back in class."

"Okay."

* * *

"He kissed me! I-I can't believe he actually kissed me!" Marinette exclaimed on the phone.

"What! He kissed you!?" Alya screeched back.

"Yes! He put his mouth on my mouth!" She grinned and fell back on her pillows.

"That's crazy! No wonder you guys took so damn long!"

"He insisted on staying! I don't know why, but I'm really glad he did!" She giggled. There was a tapping on her trap door and she automatically reached up to open it out of habit.

"How did it feel? Did sparks fly? Did he propose to you?" Alya asked. Marinette laughed as Chat Noir plopped down on her bad as usual and closed the door.

"It felt…amazing. I kinda hesitated, but he didn't at all, a-and his lips…they were so soft," she sighed. Chat connected some of the dots and smiled as he realized she was talking about their kiss earlier today.

"Any sparks flying? I need to know if there were fireworks!" Alya demanded.

"God…it was like playing with sparklers in the summer. It was really too short to have any fireworks, but I definitely felt butterflies."

"Why was it short?"

"Nino walked in…and then I ran away," she admitted.

"Oh my god I am going to kill that boy!" Alya screamed.

"It's whatever. We shouldn't have kissed in the nurse's office anyways," Marinette said and made her way in to Chat's arms per usual.

"I'm still gonna kill him. I can think of another reason," Alya replied. Mari giggled.

"Yeah probably," she sighed.

"Do you know if he might do it again?"

"I dunno…I hope so."

"We need to get you a new lip gloss to celebrate. Oh! Isn't this weekend officially your 1 month estrogen birthday?"

"Uh, yeah it is…yup I started on a Saturday four weeks ago," she confirmed.

"Awesome! We'll go out shopping to celebrate!"

"Uh, maybe we should wait for a bigger milestone. Not much has changed…"

"Oh c'mon you can't tell me nothing has happened in a month," Alya nagged.

"Well…my skin is softer, and you already know my voice is getting higher. Other than that I don't think so…oh wait," Marinette paused.

"What? What is it?"

"Ehh…it's embarrassing," she mumbled. Chat found himself curious as to what she was talking about and leaned his cheek against the top of her head.

"C'mon, girl, you can tell me," Alya coaxed.

"Nothing has grown yet…but my chest is feeling more sensitive," she spoke quietly in to the phone, but Chat could still hear. This information made him blush.

"Really? Are you sure there's nothing? You might be getting buds."

"Buds?"

"Breast buds. It's the first stage of breast development."

"What does it look like."

"It's kinda weird, but it looks like your nipples are swollen. Everyone who grows boobs goes through that stage," she replied. Marinette quickly peeked down her shirt.

"Hmm…I dunno. Maybe," she said. Chat Noir cleared his throat nervously and was grateful for their arrangement. He couldn't see down her shirt with his chin resting atop her head, but it was strange to think about her chest.

"Anyways, I'll talk to you later. I have some last minute homework to finish," she lied noticing the sound Chat made.

"Okay, see ya later!"

"Bye," she hung up the phone and set it down before snuggling up to Chats neck and pressing a kiss to his jaw. He stiffened.

"It sounds like you had an interesting day today," he spoke. She smiled and shifted to see his face.

"Très intéressant, actually. You'll never believe it," she grinned.

"What happened?"

"Adrien Agreste kissed me," she squealed. He smiled at her enthusiasm. It was a relief to hear he made her happy despite their interruption. He had made the assumption she was uncomfortable from the way she walked out. Hearing her excitement made him happy.

"Really? That's great," he replied.

"I know right! This awful girl, Chloé, tripped me, and he helped me to the nurse's office. I'm not really entirely sure how it happened he was just getting closer and before I knew it he was kissing me!" She told him. He smirked. He knew exactly how it happened, but the way she retold it was very interesting.

"So, are you two a thing yet?" He asked. Marinette's smile dropped as a deep red blossomed across her cheeks.

"I-I dunno if we're exactly a thing…when he came back to class he seemed kind of embarrassed. I didn't want to push him. To be honest it was probably an accident. Spur of the moment type of thing, y'know?" She said. Chat furrowed his brows. He recalled being embarrassed, but that was because he thought she was uncomfortable. Forget HawkMoth, lack of communication was his real enemy.

"Maybe he was nervous. Kissing a beautiful girl like you can be stressful. Mostly because he has no idea what competition he's put up against," he purred tracing his fingertip across her jaw and to her chin. She rolled her eyes.

"I doubt that. You're not that great of a kisser, Chat Noir," she lied. Chat blinked in surprise and then frowned.

"What do you mean? My kisses are supreme," he defended. She giggled.

"They're not as good as mine, petite chaton," she spoke in a low voice as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down closer. Chat was surprised to feel her lips against his. He had thought that since Adrien had clearly expressed some affection she would dedicate all her efforts to him, but clearly he was wrong.

"I-I thought y-you and Adrien-"

"He's not my boyfriend, Chat. Neither are you, but until a miracle happened and he becomes my boyfriend I won't neglect you," she hummed and then continued to kiss him. He felt his body turn in to flubber as she stood on her knees, exceeding his height as he remained sat on her sheets, and cupped his face. She bit at his lower lip and from that point on resisting her was futile.

"Tu es mon petite chaton," she whispered. Adrien whimpered when she spoke and held on to her hips. He desperately kissed her back, and ran his leather clad hands down her strong thighs. He added that to his list of evidence of her possibly being BeetleBug, but was instantly distracted by the sound of her giggle.

"Chaton méchant."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: shopping

"Oh my god! This is so cute!" Alya gasped as so looked down at the jewelry cabinet. Marinette peered down in to the illuminated case to see what she was fussing about.

"Those earrings would look absolutely cute on you!" She exclaimed.

"Uh, I dunno. I really like the ones I have on," she said examining the precious stones.

"C'mon, you always wear those. Time to change it up," she insisted.

"Not at that price. Don't you think I have enough? I don't need all of this," Marinette replied gesturing to the shopping bags laced around her arms.

"Need? Probably not, but you need some more skirts. You can't always borrow mine," she pointed out referring to the soft and flowy skirt Marinette wore.

"I can design my own skirts, I don't need five different kinds."

"This is one of the fun parts of being a girl. Going shopping with your girlfriends and totally splurging on useless clothes. C'mon, girl, it's your 1 month estrogen birthday. Celebrate yourself!" She urged and redirected her attention to the rack of necklaces and bracelets.

"Well, I'd be alright with it if it was all my money," she grumbled. Alya and her mother had both paid more than a reasonable amount for her presents.

"Oh don't sweat it! My joy comes from my friends. I already have a lot of girl stuff, and we need to jump start your wardrobe," Alya reasoned and picked out a silver charm bracelet with ladybug and Eiffel tower charms.

"This would go perfectly with that little ladybug necklace you have! I'm definitely getting you this!"

"Or I can buy it myself," Marinette said impatiently. Alya patted her head and made her way to the register.

"You have a surgery to save for. Besides, your mom is the one going crazy in the shoe section," she informed her and nodded her head in the direction of Sabine. The small Chinese woman grinned and waved at the two girls as she picked out a third box of shoes.

"Really! She already got me two pairs of flats from Payless!" Marinette groaned. Alya laughed and handed Mari the small bag that held her new bracelet.

"Mothers adore their daughters. Let her spoil you this once," she winked and wondered off to the makeup section. Marinette sighed and followed her.

"Why don't you check out the perfume, and I'll check up on you when I find something I think you'll like," Alya suggested.

"Fine," Marinette mumbled and split off from her best friend.

It was nice to get a break from the constant shoving of stuff in her face. Ever since they entered the mall Sabine and Alya always had a new thing to show her and then promptly buy for her if she liked it. Sometimes even when she didn't exactly say she liked it. She held about five shopping bags filled with clothes, shoes, jewelry, hair supplies, and other various feminine stuff. She drew the line when it came to the underwear section. Getting a bra and panty set was a little bit too soon considering she had nothing to fill the cups.

The perfume section smelled like a large mixture of chemicals and the occasional whiff of coffee beans. She read somewhere that the beans cleared you pallet so you could properly smell each perfume, but no matter how much coffee she smelled they all smelled the same. Soon enough she gave up and opted for a body spray instead. She liked the fruity smell compared to the foggy scent of unnamed chemicals. Once she had her bottle of Japanese Cheery Blossom body spray selected she made her way to the counter and made her first purchase of the day. She was about to exit the section and return to Alya when something caught her eye.

There was a large poster of Adrien's face and the perfume it was advertising along with a crowd of photographers. Her eyes widened when a polite, yet obviously disgruntled, blond emerged from the crowd and left them to His father. Gabriel's grey hair was just barely visible over the dozen of photographers. She froze as Adrien's eyes connected with hers and he smiled. The past couple days after he had kissed her were…awkward. Mostly because they never talked about it and tried to forget it happened, but Mari could never forget his soft lips. She wanted to run away when she noticed him walking over to her, but it felt like her feet were glued down.

She looked so cute. Her short hair was pulled back with a black headband, and her eyes were wide. The flash from the photographers made them sparkle along with the dainty ladybug necklace around her neck. She wore a simple dark orange blouse paired with a short and flowy skirt around her waist. Her legs were clad with the same grey tights with black cats on them he saw her wear the day she sat neck to him along with brown boots. Of course he was going to talk to her. It would be stupid of him not to.

"Afternoon, Marinette," he greeted with a confident smile.

"Oh um, hi…Adrien," she replied trying to shake her nerves.

"You look very nice today. Is there a special occasion?" He asked.

"Thanks! Um…yeah, kinda. My mom and Alya wanted to take me out shopping to celebrate. I've been on estrogen for a month now," she told him. His smile widened.

"Wow! That's fantastic. Congrats," he said patting her shoulder. She smiled back.

"Thanks."

"So what's it like? Have you noticed anything exciting?" He questioned. He already knew the answers to everything he asked, but hearing the answers from her instead of eavesdropping on her conversation was a lot more satisfying.

"Not a lot, but my voice is getting higher and my skin is much softer," she reported.

"Hm, really? Do you mind?" He asked hovering his hand over her arm. She nodded and he ran his fingers over her skin.

"Wow, that's amazing. I didn't think that it would change your skin texture. It's very soft," he agreed.

"Yeah I-I was surprised by it too, but I like it so…yeah," she said while his fingers lingered over her delicate skin. His eyes were locked on hers despite his obvious attention else where.

"That's good. Looks like you got a lot of stuff too," he noticed referring to her shopping bags.

"Ugh, if only. I've only bought one thing by myself. I look at something on the shelf for more than three seconds and my mom or Alya buys if for me," she told him and looked down at the heavy bags. He laughed.

"It seems they really love you a lot. I take it your parents are okay with your transition?"

"Yeah. They're a bit excited right now, so it's a little overwhelming, but I'm sure they'll get used to it," she replied and shifted her weight.

"That's good. Excuse my curiosity, but do you plan on coming out to the class anytime soon?" He asked. Marinette frowned.

"I dunno…based on Chloé's reaction I'll probably keep it a secret a bit longer, but…maybe one day."

"Well, Chloé isn't exactly the most accepting person. I think she's the only person in the class that would give you a problem, and I can always help you out with her," he assured her. Marinette blushed. He was really willing to protect her…

"T-thanks…"

"Of course it's up to you when you come out, do it when you feel ready. Keep in mind that the estrogen _is_ doing something, so it might be harder to hide," he reminded her and brushed his hand back over her shoulder. He was touching her a lot, and it made her heart flutter when she realized that. She nodded.

"Yeah…I dunno how well I pass now, but-"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Alya shouted as she approached them.

"Oh hey, Adrien," she said barely looking at him.

"I'm where you told me to be," Marinette told her.

"No you're at the register, I told you the perfume section."

"I'm at the register _in_ the perfume section."

"Ugh! Whatever, I found a couple of lipsticks you might like," she spoke as she pulled out her phone.

"I had to take pictures because you wouldn't answer your phone," she sassed.

"I turned it on silent because the battery was running low."

"Whatever. Anyways, I know that you're not into those bold colors yet, so I found this really pretty peach color and then this more pinky color. I think the more peachy color would bring out your eyes," she rambled as she showed her the photos. Adrien peeked over at the photos as well.

"I also swatched them on my hand so you could see it in person. The peach is matte, but the pink one has like gold reflects in them and it's more of a satin finish."

"I like the peach," Adrien said.

"Yeah? I think it would really suit her because it gives a little color, but it's not a nude. Just the perfect amount of color," she agreed.

"I like the gloss she usually wears. I think it's cute," he added. Alya nodded and Mari blushed.

"I like it too. Maybe that gloss over the peach?"

"Maybe, what do you think Mari?" He asked.

"Uh…I-I dunno-"

"Marinette! I found the perfect pair of shoes for you!" Sabine squealed as she approached her daughter. The small woman stopped in front of the group and looked up at the tall handsome boy.

"Oh! Adrien, what a pleasure to see you," she grinned.

"Hello, Mrs. Dupain. How are you?" He greeted.

"I'm fine. What do you think about these shoes? I just picked them out," she said holding out the shoes out of the box for him to see. He examined the flats and smirked at the cat face at the tips. They were black and felt like a soft suede. Thread was sewn to make it look like a cat face, and there was even little ears cut out.

"I think they're adorable," he said. Marinette turned beat red. She couldn't believe that her mother and best friend were actually asking Adrien what he thought about the stuff they wanted to buy her.

"Good, I already got them for Marinette," Sabine beamed.

"Mo-oom, you already got me three pairs," she whined.

"I know, but this is the last pair, I swear," she handed Marinette the box and she struggled to get ahold of it with all the bags around her arms.

"Here, I'll hold that," Adrien took the box from Sabine's hands.

"Oh, what a gentleman! Why don't you join us? We've barely gotten to the makeup section!" Sabine offered.

"M-mom! I'm sure Adrien has more important things to do other than following us around the mall," she hissed.

"Not really, I have time," he claimed. Marinette blinked at him in confusion and looked over at the crowd of photographers.

"But…don't you have to be over there with your dad?" She asked pointing to the large poster.

"He wants me there, but I'd rather go with you," he responded. Marinette felt like she was about to explode. He would rather spend his time shopping with her than do his job…

"Oh…okay," she stammered.

"Awesome! Let's get back to the makeup, I also spotted a nice mascara you mighty like!" Alya urged. Adrien grabbed a few more bags from Marinette's arms and smiled down at her as they all moved together as a group.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: closer

Alya's plan to get Adrien and Marinette to go to the movies with her and Nino were absolutely ruined. Mostly because she forgot about it, but also because it turned out that Adrien had already asked her. Marinette, of course suggested to invite Alya and Nino since she was frightened of the idea of being alone with him in the dark at the movie. It wasn't that she didn't trust him she was just…scared. She needed Alya to support her for at least the first time, and then she could probably do it by herself. She was horrified to learn the other two wanted to see a thriller/horror movie, but remembered what Alya had said a couple weeks ago. She took one for the team and gave no objections.

"Are you sure you wanna see this? You look absolutely terrified," Adrien asked as they stood in line for the movie tickets.

"I-I'm fine! I'll be okay," she stuttered as she felt herself shiver. It was fairly late and cold outside, but that just made her even more nervous.

"If you want to we can see another movie while Alya and Nino watch-"

"N-no! It's okay. I can do this, i-it's no big deal," she insisted with some nervous laughter.

"If she wants to see the movie let her," Alya whispered as Nino purchased the tickets.

"She's scared out of her skin and we're not even in the theater," he pointed out. Alya laughed.

"Oh Adrien. Sweet, sweet Adrien," she spoke and patted his head.

"Don't you see the perfect opportunity put in front of you?" She asked as they walked in to the lobby.

"No…what are you talking about?" He replied.

"Hey, why don't you two get some popcorn while Adrien and I go save the seats," Alya suggested.

"Sounds good!" Nino replied with a thumbs up and walking to the concessions with Marinette.

"Awesome, see you soon," she waved as they walked off to the theaters.

"Anyways…I have a plan," she continued.

"A plan?" He questioned.

"You like Mari, right? Pass notes to her and kissed her that one time?"

"S-she told you about that?" He stuttered. He had forgotten about that phone call…geez.

"I'm her best friend she tells me everything. _Anyways_ what I'm trying to get at is that you like her, and she likes you too. So I have a plan for you two, and her being scare shitless during this movie is apart of it," she informed him.

"What does-"

"I'm glad you asked. You see, if you and Mari sit next to each other, through out the movie she'll inevitably cuddle up to you in attempt to hide her eyes from the terror on the screen. The scarier the scene, the closer you are and the more you get to comfort her."

"That's…a terrible plan," he told her as they entered the movie room.

"What? Of course it's not. It's a brilliant plan," she insisted.

"Not if she's scared the whole time. I don't want her to be frightened and uncomfortable," he replied. Alya opened her mouth to argue, but then smiled.

"Aw! That's so cute! You care more about her being happy than…oh my god that is so cute!" She squealed. Adrien blushed and sat down in their seats.

"Well yeah. Of course I do," he muttered.

"Ugh, you are so good to her, she has no idea," Alya squealed. She sat a seat apart from him so that Mari could sit between to her and Adrien. The other two soon joined them with a large bucket of popcorn. Nino sat next to Alya because she told him to and patted the seat between her and Adrien for Marinette. She stuck her tongue out at her best friend and took her spot.

"If you get scared you're not allowed to hug me," Alya told her.

"A-Alya! Don't do that to me," she cried.

"Shh…the movie is gonna start. You better get comfortable with Adrien or suffer," she snickered.

Marinette whimpered and sat back in her seat. The screen went dark as the movie started and she already felt terrified. She bounced her leg nervously as the opening scene unfolded, but was soon stopped by Alya's hand. Adrien had noticed the anxiety radiating off of her, and with every jump scare her gasp was the loudest. There was a point when he thought he heard her sniffle, but it was actually just Nino getting over a cold. The blond looked over at the terrified girl all huddled and tense in her seat. It was hard to see from how dark the room was, but he could clearly see her worried and scared expression. She was gnawing at her bottom lip and gripped the edge of her seat so hard her knuckles were white. He craved a way to make her feel better, and carefully slipped his hand over hers. She flinched and looked over at him.

He gave her a shy smile and interlocked their fingers. His thumb rubbed against the back of her hand, and her shaking seemed to subside the longer she stared at him. He was about to lean closer and offer her some comforting words when a loud bang came from the movie. Marinette yelped and clung on to his arm without thinking. She hid her eyes behind his shoulder and her body trembled once more. Adrien looked over at Alya, confused as to what to do next. She pointed to his arm and made a gesture to wrap it around her shoulders. He took a deep breath and carefully pulled his arm out of her grasp and immediately pulling her closer with his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him and blushed, but quickly clung to his waist instead when another loud sound screamed at her from the movie. A whimper escaped her lips. Adrien was thankful for putting up the armrest before the movie or else this would've been a little less comfortable with it between them. He shifted closer to her and she buried her face in to his chest. His heart was racing, and he wondered if she could feel it.

She peeked up at him. His face was red as he tried to concentrate on the movie, but he couldn't help but focus on the warmth of her body. He tried so desperately not to look down at her, but he failed and met her gorgeous blue eyes. She blinked up at him and then shyly looked away. He bit his lip and looked back to the screen. The images didn't effect him as much as they effected Mari, but he was too distracted to actually be scared. He thought back to the nurse's office, and how soft her hair was. He thought about how close she was now that he could feel it again…he could feel it again. Adrien looked down at her thick black hair. It looked and even smelled enticing, and he didn't even realizing he was reaching for it until he felt the soft strands between his fingers again. She remained still as his hand combed through her short locks. The feeling comforted her, and made her relax a little more.

Adrien smiled and felt a lot more comfortable being so close to her. His body no longer felt stiff, and her grip around his waist had loosened as her fear started to dissipate. The only time it tightened was when there was a jump scare or a loud noise, but even then it loosened back to normal. His fingers continued to run through her hair over and over again until she finally looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and let himself linger his gaze. The blond didn't even realize he was leaning closer until his eyes shut and he felt her soft lips brush against his. He was about to properly kiss her when a loud moan came from the movie screen. His eyes snapped open and he looked over at the scene currently displayed on the screen. Why the fuck was there a sex scene in a horror movie?

Marinette turned a brilliant shade of red before completely pulling away and holding her knees to her chest. She looked down at the floor nervously as she tried to ignore the sounds coming from the characters. Although Adrien missed her warmth and affection, he was also kinda glad she did pull away. Sex scenes are just always awkward no matter what. He sat completely stiff as he nervously looked anywhere but the screen. Why was this so hard for him? If he was Chat Noir he would be ignoring whatever was on the screen and kissing her right then and there. Why was it so hard for Adrien to do the same? What was stopping him? Why couldn't he just kiss her?

He glanced over at Mari and thought about just leaning over and doing it, but he felt too nervous to actually do it. What the fuck was _stopping_ him? He was freaking out and he couldn't figure out why. She was all he wanted, and he knew that she liked him too so what was the damn barrier? He couldn't handle just sitting next to her. He wanted to be with her and make her happy. He couldn't do that by just sitting next to her.

Adrien impulsively stood up and made his way out of the row before rushing out of the theater. _What was he doing?_ He should go back and make sure Mari wasn't scare out of her wits. She was all alone, and he was charging in to an empty bathroom? _What was wrong with him?_ Why couldn't he just talk to her? Why couldn't he just hold her? Why couldn't he kiss her? _Why couldn't he love her?_

"Fuck…" he swore and splashed some cold water in his face. He groaned and let it drip from his face as he glared at the sink.

"Adrien?" He looked over his shoulder to see Nino behind him.

"Are you okay?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: comfort

"I'm fine," Adrien lied and grabbed a paper towel to dry his face.

"Alya told me to check up on you. You kinda just ran out," he said.

"Yeah…sorry about that," he muttered.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did something happen between you and Marque?" He asked. Adrien clenched his fists. He hated hearing that name.

"No…" he couldn't tell if it was a lie or the truth.

"Are you sure? He was confused-"

"Dammit, Nino! She's not a guy!" He snapped. Nino's jaw dropped at his friends out burst.

"Her name is Marinette, not Marque," he grumbled and gripped the edge of the counter.

"I…I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know," he said. Adrien sighed and looked up at his friend through the mirror.

"Sorry…I'm just…a little stressed," he mumbled and loosened his grip. He ran his fingers through his fringe and turned around to lean against the counter.

"About what?" He asked as he came closer and leaned against the counter as well.

"Take a wild guess," he replied bitterly.

"Hmm…is it Marque? Er Marinette? Sorry," he guessed. Adrien nodded.

"Why are you so stressed about him-I mean her?"

"I dunno if it's stress or if I'm just going insane…I just wanna make her happy," he said vaguely and crossed his arms.

"I'd say you make her pretty happy. Everyday in class you two are joking around and laughing," he pointed out.

"That's not good enough. I want her to feel comfortable, and I want…ugh," he groaned and rubbed his palms against his eyes.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. There's only so much you can do for her. It's not like you're a superhero that can grant her every wish. It seems like just accepting her for who she is is enough for her," Nino said. Adrien frowned. Although he could give her anything she wanted, he knew it wasn't that easy.

"Thanks Nino…but I guess it's more than that. I think…what I really want is to just tell her how I feel. I want to tell her everything and I want to tell her without feeling nervous or messing it up…" he trailed off.

"I know it's easier said than done, but that's not impossible dude. You just gotta force yourself to do it," he told him. Adrien nodded.

"I'm a coward then," he muttered. He couldn't even tell her he loves her with a mask on. The main thing that was holding him back was having to tell her who he really is. When she finds out he's actually Chat Noir…he had no idea how betrayed she would feel. He was in too deep.

"Don't worry, dude. You'll be able to tell her one day," Nino assured him and patted his back.

"Thanks Nino. I really hope you're right," Adrien gave him a forced smile and pulled himself away from the counter.

"We should get back. Mari is probably scared out of her mind," he said. Nino nodded and they both made their way back to the theater, but before they could go in the two girls were bursting out.

"Alya? What's wrong with Marinette?" Adrien asked noticing the shivering girl in Alya's arms.

"She got really scared. I had to get her out of there," Alya replied.

"Geez, I'm sorry I left Mari. Are you okay?" He asked and lifted her chin to look down at her. Her eyes were watery as she shivered and nearly tackled him to the ground. She squeezed his torso and buried her face in to his chest. He held her close and gave a worried look to Alya.

"I don't understand. She was so calm for the majority of the movie," Nino said.

"Yeah that was before Adrien left," Alya grumbled. His worry shifted to guilt.

"I'm really sorry," he said.

"Why don't you take her to the lobby or somewhere to sit down," Alya suggested. Adrien nodded.

"And you two?" He asked.

"I can go with you-"

"I-it's okay. I'm f-fine," Marinette stuttered.

"Are you sure, Mari?" Alya asked. She nodded.

"You can go back," she murmured and pulled her face away from Adrien's shirt to look at her.

"Okay then…I'll come back when it's over."

"Okay…"

"I'll stay with her. You guys can go back," Adrien told them. Alya and Nino nodded before turning back in to the theater. He sighed and looked around to see a cushioned bench across from where they stood.

"Let's sit down," he spoke softly as she sniffled. She nodded and held on to his arm as he lead her to the bench. They sat down together and leaned against the wall with their feet at the edge of the cushion.

"I'm so sorry I left. I feel terrible leaving you in there," he told her.

"It's okay…i-it was just a really scary scene," she murmured and leaned against his shoulder. His fingers found hers and he held her hand without a second thought.

"It's not too late if you wanna see a happier movie," he told her.

"I'm fine…I'm alright with this," she hummed and mimicked his thumb from earlier.

"Your nails look nice," he commented.

"Thanks. I got them done like two weeks ago and they haven't even chipped yet," she replied. He smiled and lifted her hand so he could get a better look.

"Very classy and pretty. Although not as pretty as you," he said and smirked at her. She smiled and shook her head.

"You're silly," was her only response.

"Call me silly all you want, but you're still beautiful," he mumbled and looked down at her. Her cheeks were red as she avoided his eyes.

"Silly…" she muttered. He moved her head with his finger so she looked up at him and examined her face. Her cheeks were pinched with embarrassment and her eyes were filled with anticipation. She knit her eyebrows and bit her lower lip as he took in every detail.

"I really like you, Marinette," he told her. Her cheeks went even redder and her eyebrows shot up.

"I think you're wonderful, and I really want to kiss you again," he admitted. He didn't know why he was telling her this, but her reaction made him glad he did. She looked absolutely adorable when she was flustered.

"D-don't lie to me," she stuttered defensively. He chuckled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said running his thumb against her lower lip.

She watched him lean closer until her eyes fluttered shut and she let him press his lips against hers. Adrien was elated to feel the warmth from her body again, and tilted his head to fit his mouth better with hers. He kissed her again as he moved his hand to hold her cheek. When he pulled back her hot breath hit his skin and he felt the desire to continue burn through out him. He smiled at her, happy that it was Adrien kissing her and not Chat. She was still recovering from his last kiss when he leaned down for a third.

"Adrien…" was all she could say. He chuckled and couldn't resist continuing.

"Marinette," he whispered and kissed her more. Her hands found their way around his neck and up to his hair. She ran her fingers through the soft strands and sighed when his freehand slithered over her waist. Adrien had to make a conscious effort not to pull her closer. He had to keep in mind that they were in public, and not in her bedroom. When he pulled away again he didn't want to, but he knew if they went any further he was gonna go crazy. It was only when he moved his hand did he realize it had drifted from her waist and over her hip. He was so used to feeling up and down her legs he must've done it on accident.

"Sorry," he muttered and pulled his hand away from her hip.

"I-it's okay," she stuttered.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked. She hummed and pulled his hand back around her waist and snuggled closer to him.

"Yeah…"

"That's good," he said and flattened his hand against the small of her back.

"Thank you…for making sure I'm okay," she said. He smiled and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

"No problem. Thank you for making out with me," he replied. She giggled and sweetly kissed his neck.

"My pleasure," she sighed and tangled her fingers in his hair.

They stayed like that together until the movie ended and Alya and Nino came out of the theater. It felt like time passed by so quickly, but apparently there was still another hour of the movie when Mari had to leave. When they sat together in silence she felt happy to be so close to him and know he did in fact like her. They left the theater hand in hand, and were all picked up by Sabine and Tom. As Alya and Nino were dropped off Adrien and Marinette were leaned against each other again. Their bodies felt as if they were meant to fit together. His was oh so familiar despite her never knowing it before now. The way his arms felt around her made her feel safe, and she couldn't help but feel like she has felt them before some how. How odd…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: merde

"You're gonna have to tell her," Plagg said as Adrien stared up at his ceiling.

"I know," he replied unenthusiastically.

"You're gonna have to tell her soon. Like before you ask her to be your girlfriend," he continued.

"I know," Adrien repeated.

"And you're gonna have to apologize a lot, bud. You can't just swoop in and be like 'hey? You know that superhero who's been sneaking in your bedroom for the past couple months and listening to all of your private conversations over the phone and making out with you? Yeah that's me. Surprise!' Because if you do that you're gonna be lacking both Marinette and BeetleBu-"

"Yes yes, I know!" Adrien snapped. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Forget Romeo and Juliet, this is the real tragedy," he muttered.

"Why did I get myself in to this mess? I should've just left her alone and talk to her as myself and not…"

"Some dude in a cat suit?"

"Yeah…" Adrien sighed.

Why did he give in to his own selfish wants and desires? He couldn't just see her at school. He couldn't wait for their relationship to bloom for him to kiss her again. He couldn't deal with not knowing what she was thinking. It was pathetic how desperate he was to know what she thought of him, but it was more pathetic that he actually sought it out of her. What disappointed him the most was how his visits have been ending lately. He hadn't seen her as Chat since the first time he kissed her as Adrien, but the memories were clear and vivid. She had her hands and mouth all over him, and every touch made him want her so much more. It slightly bothered him that she would touch Chat like that when Adrien was clearly showing some interest, but her words rang with truth. He wasn't dating her at all. Not as Chat and not as himself. She wasn't his…nor was she his to have. She was too good for him.

"I think you should try and tell her soon. The longer you wait the harder it's gonna be and the less likely she's gonna forgive you," Plagg spoke.

"If she'll forgive me at all," Adrien grumbled.

"Hey, maybe she will. You don't know."

"I wish I never messed with her as Chat. It's only causing problems," he said and checked the time in his clock. She was probably going to bed in an hour or so.

"Well, if you never visited her as Chat you probably wouldn't have fallen so hard so quick," Plagg hummed. Adrien glared at his kwami. He would've argued, but he was more than right.

"Shut up. I didn't mean to it just…happened."

"Maybe she'll understand. You never know…" Plagg replied and floated off.

Adrien stared at his screen. After everything they've been through he owed her the truth. He couldn't stand the guilt that was ripping at his insides anymore. Despite his fear of Marinette hating him, he knew what he had to do whether he liked it or not.

"Plagg, claws out."

* * *

"Should I ask him to be my boyfriend? Or should I wait for him to ask me to his girlfriend? Do you think he wants me to be his girlfriend? Like he asked me out, but just one date doesn't mean that he wants me to be his girlfriend. But then why did he kiss me again? Does kissing equate to wanting me to be his girlfriend? He told me he likes me, so does that make us official? Ugh! Boys are so confusing," Marinette rambled to her kwami while Tikki nibbled on a cookie.

"I think he really likes you, Marinette! You should ask him to be your boyfriend," she chirped.

"I-I dunno…should I? I mean obviously times are changing and girls can ask out guys, but no one else really knows I'm not a guy. Would he be comfortable with that? Everyone would think he's gay…or something like that. Ugh, and what about Chloé? She would have a terrible fit if she found out we were dating. Then again maybe that's another reason we should date…" Marinette continued when she heard a soft thud on her roof. Was that…

"Chat Noir?" She murmured to herself. He hasn't visited in almost a week. What was he doing here?

"Stay here, Tikki," she told her kwami as she curiously climbed up to her terrace. She found Chat Noir looking over the railing with his back to her. When she closed the trap door he flinched, but remained faced away.

"It's been a while. What brings you here so late?" She asked as she came closer. Chat sighed and turned around.

"I have a question, princess," he announced. Marinette blinked.

"Uh okay," she replied. He nervously bit his lower lip and stepped closer to her.

"How much would you say you like Adrien?" He questioned. Marinette was surprised by his question. She blushed and shifted her weight. He looked…guilty.

"A lot."

"How…how willing would you be to forgive him if he…really fucked up?" He asked. Marinette furrowed her brows and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Like…let's say Adrien really liked BeetleBug. He thought he was gay for him, a-and he suspected that you were BeetleBug. Let's say he found a way to talk to you without you knowing it was him, and he visited you at night to try and see if you were actually BeetleBug…" he looked at her with pleading eyes as he spoke, and Marinette found herself more and more worried as he continued.

"W-what if he lied to you, a-and kept visiting you without you knowing it was him so he could find out what you were thinking? What if he heard everything I've heard a-and listened to your conversations with Alya over the phone?"

"Chat, what are you talking about?" Her voice quivered as he stepped even closer and held her hands.

"What if he fell in love with you through out all of it? Not BeetleBug. What if he fell for you because of all the times he saw you without you knowing it was him? _What if he loved you as much as I do?_ " He inquired. Marinette blinked up at him and it all suddenly made sense. He loved her…but that was always plain to see. Adrien loved her, but his love was always in plain sight.

"Adrien?" She murmured. Wetness welled up in his eyes and spilled over his cheek. She reached up to wipe it away.

"Please, answer the question. I-I can't lose you, Marinette. I need to know how much you would _hate_ him if he did that to you," he pleaded. Marinette frowned and looked up at him, her eyebrows knit with worry as she cupped both of his cheeks.

"Adrien, is that you? Chat…" she trailed off as he held her face and pulled her up to meet his kiss.

Marinette let his lips devour hers. Any gap between their mouths was filled with whispered apologies and praises. He moved his arms around her waist to hold her closer against him. She shifted her arms around his neck and gladly kissed him back. She didn't exactly know what to think, but it made sense to kiss him back. The familiarity of his lips and the way his arms wrapped around her so perfectly _just made sense_.

She sighed against his lips and let his love engulf her. His hands gripped at the fabric covering her back and his mouth pressed deeper in to hers. When he introduced his tongue to hers she moved her hands to grip his shoulders and moaned. Her voice only fueled his flames as he backed her against the wall and tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth.

"Marinette…I'm sorry…I love you," he panted as he kissed her.

"Adrien…mmm…" she sighed and gripped his shoulders harder.

"I'm so sorry…I wanted to make you happy," he breathed.

"You make me so happy," she moaned as he kissed the side of her mouth.

"Mari…I want to make you feel good," he whispered. Marinette whimpered at his request and opened her eyes to see his transformation had worn off.

"A-Adrien…" her voice light and hoarse as he kissed down her neck. Before she would've said no. She would've told him it was embarrassing and that she was scared. But she wasn't scared right now. Despite all he was telling her she trusted him, and she couldn't think when he touched her like that. Her brain was fuzzy and her body was trembling as he nipped and sucked on her skin.

"Adrien…merde…mon dieu…" she let out a shivered moan as he licked and lapped his tongue back to her lips.

"Mari…"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: talk it out

Marinette breathed deeply, trying to calm herself as she was frozen to process the aftermath of what had just happened. Adrien still had her pinned against the wall, his arms growing weak from holding her legs as the euphoria started to fade. He huffed against her neck and feathered sweet kisses over the love bites he had left. She couldn't decide if she was happy, mad, or just straight up embarrassed. There was a sticky mess in her shorts, and based on Adrien's depleting energy he had made a mess in his jeans as well. The silence between them was strange; it sounded like the way it felt to un-stress a rubber band. There was a lack of tension between them as Adrien slowly returned her feet to the ground.

"Sorry…" he murmured sheepishly.

Marinette cleared her throat and finally got a hold of her lungs before looking up at him. He had his head turned slightly to the side so he didn't look directly at her, and his face was bright red. She couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or from their previous activities. The girl was still trying to process everything that he had told her before they got carried away.

Every night…it was him. Every curious question was about himself. That's how he knew she was trans…that's how he knew anything and everything. That's why it felt like he could read her mind sometimes. She felt everything she knew she should've and more. She felt the betrayal and the hurt, but they burned out within seconds. Instead all she felt was his guilt and his remorse, and found herself more confused rather than sad. He was so utterly in love with her that he had to spy on her as Chat Noir to figure out how to talk to her. That was…kind of endearing. She reached up to turn his head so he looked down at her, and smiled.

"If Adrien really did all those things, I'd say he's pathetic," she spoke softly. He sighed.

"He is."

"I'd also tell him he's dumb for not telling me sooner that he's actually Chat Noir," she added. He smiled.

"If he told you he's Chat Noir, would you tell him that your BeetleBug?" He asked. She thought for a moment.

"Hmm…no, but I would tell him that I'm Ladybug," she answered.

"Ladybug…I like that. Makes a lot more sense than BeetleBug," he said.

"I figured since I look like a literal ladybug." She ran her fingers through his hair and sighed.

"You're really an idiot, Adrien," she murmured. He frowned.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked.

"I don't know. This is kinda hard for me to wrap my head around…mostly because of what you let me do to you," she spoke with a hint of displeasure. He blushed.

"Oh, t-that…I didn't…it's hard to explain."

"Try."

"That night you were talking about hating your body…that was the night I decided I was going to do anything I could to make you happy. I-I knew you weren't actually that invested in Chat, so I just let it happen because it seemed to make you feel better. I wanted you to know that I would never be _grossed out_ by you, Mari. I would never find you disgusting," he told her. She stiffened when she remembered he heard the way she talked about herself. He knew how absolutely disgusted she was with herself and her body.

"I-I didn't want you to hear that," she muttered.

"I know. I didn't mean to, but you were talking to Alya and I couldn't just leave. Not when you were so sad. I needed to be there because I wanted to help you somehow," he said and pulled back a strand of her hair.

"I feel terrible…I'm so sorry-"

"How were you okay with that? I-I was using you as Chat, but you still talked to me as Adrien? What I did wasn't exactly nice either. I messed up too and you were just fine with that?" She interrupted.

"Marinette, I've been telling you why this whole time. I was okay with it because you needed it. To be brutally honest I was helpless anyways from the first kiss. I'm like putty in your hands, Mari. I don't think around you…I dunno if I'll ever be able to think straight around you. All I can think about is how to make you smile or how to make you laugh or just how to get away with looking at you for as long as I want," he spoke gently, his words like poetry as he held her closer and rested his forehead against hers.

"Adrien…you're so dumb," she said.

"I'm really dumb," he agreed. She couldn't help but smile and brush her fingers against his jaw.

"I'm really dumb and really in love with you," he added and let his lips lightly touch hers. Her smile widened and she bit her lip before letting him kiss her again.

"I might be just as dumb as you…" she sighed. He ran his thumb against her hip and she adored the feeling of his skin on hers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He murmured with his eyes glued to her lips.

"I love you too," she whispered and kissed him. He gladly accepted her affection and hummed in satisfaction to hear her say those words. She loved him despite his absolute fuck up, and that made him smile like an idiot.

"Do you want to kiss me or not? Lose that smile," she muttered and kissed him some more. He chuckled and kissed her back slowly.

"For the love of God, please be my girlfriend," he grinned and pulled back to look down at her. She turned bright red and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"H-huh?" She stuttered.

"I love your eyes. They're beautiful," he charmed.

"Y-you're embarrassing me," she stuttered. He held his finger over her lips as he leaned closer and hushed her.

"Hush, sweetheart. You know you like it," he teased and replaced his finger with his mouth.

Marinette tried to pull away and speak, but he gently followed her until the back of her head made contact with the wall and continued the kiss. She would've tried again to pull away and scold him, but once he did it was insane to ever even think about wanting to leave the comfort of his love. The warmth from his breath bleed in to her mouth, and she could feel it spread even in to her bones. She indulged her fingers in his hair again as she tilted her head for a better fit. He felt like hot coals on a summer evening, and she felt like the melting marshmallow dripping in the campfire.

"Your lips…sweet," he whispered and ran his thumb over her fleshy pink skin.

"Shut up," she replied and kept his lips on hers. His hands started to roam her body again, feeling every inch of skin he could from her cheeks to her arms to her legs. He felt it all, and craved to touch more. She was here, and he felt no more boundaries to hold himself back. Marinette shivered when she felt his fingers slid up her back and softly push her hips closer to his. She gasped and took a couple deep breaths. Each huff of air warmed Adrien's lower lip and made him smirk.

"I like your voice. It's sexy," he whispered, his own voice rough and jagged from kissing her so much.

"Adrien…y-you're dumb…so dumb."

"I wanna feel you," he spoke with lust dragging through his words.

"Y-you know I haven't gotten the surgery yet," she stuttered shyly and looked away from his desire driven eyes.

"I don't care."

"But _I_ do," she said curtly, snapping his attention back to reality. Adrien blinked down at her and finally realized she truly didn't want this. He was fast to remove his hand from her back and give her some distance.

"Sorry…I wasn't thinking," he said sheepishly. She took a deep breath.

"You do that a lot," she pointed out. He laughed nervously.

"I told you it's a problem of mine…did you think I was lying?"

"No…maybe just being a bit dramatic."

"Eh, maybe. It's easy to get carried away. I won't do it again, a-and I won't do what I did earlier again either," he promised. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thanks, Adrien. You're too sweet," she sighed and squeezed him affectionately. Her warm arms contrasted against the cool Parisian night air. He ran his fingers through her hair and sighed. This made sense.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: not quite the end

"Oh my god your hair looks so fricken cute, Mari. I can't believe it's gotten so long," Alya ogled as she ran her fingers through Marinette's still short hair. It had grown out an inch or so past her jaw and she had finally gotten it to all one length (excluding her bangs of course).

"Thank you, Alya! You're so sweet," she grinned, her chest swelling with pride from the compliment she received.

"Mari's hair has always looked cute, but I think this style looks adorable," Adrien said as he draped his arm around her shoulders as he approached from behind her and Alya.

"You can't properly judge how cute Marinette's hair is because you're biased. Also adorable is a synonym for cute!" She barked in reply.

"Actually adorable means to inspire affection while cute means attractive or pretty. Also adorable can be viewed as a more affectionate intention than cute," Adrien replied.

"Shut up, you walking dictionary," she growled. Marinette giggled.

"You two are funny. Thank you very much," she said politely and looked between the two of them.

"Ugh, and you're voice just keeps getting sweeter! You sound cute too!" Alya nearly screamed.

"Oh I-I doubt that-"

"I agree. Very adorable," Adrien interrupted.

"Oh my god stop using adorable when you mean cute!" Alya snapped.

"If I meant to say cute I would've said cute, but I didn't mean to say cute so I said adorable," he stated calmly with an arrogant smile. Alya groaned and clung to Marinette's side, pushing off Adrien's arm and pulling her away.

"I had her first! She's mine!" She cried and squeezed Mari with affection. Adrien rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Marinette isn't something to be claimed. She's so much more. Besides, I say she likes me better," he said smugly. Alya's face turned red with annoyance and anger.

"You snobby little rich kid! She likes you romantically but she loves me platonically. Chew on that, Agreste," she sneered. Marinette giggled again, and both of their hearts melted at the sound.

"You're both silly. I love both of you the same," she assured them.

"Ugh, c'mon girl you know I'm your best friend forever," Alya groaned.

"And forever is a very. Long. Time," she spoke sharply.

"This isn't a competition guys, there's no way either of you could sway my love," she said and pulled Alya's arms off of her. Alya gave a passive sigh and crossed her arms.

"Fine, but Wikipedia over here better understand that too," she grumbled.

"I thought I was a walking dictionary," Adrien quipped and smirked in a way that infuriated Alya.

"Oh my god shut up!" She screamed. Adrien and Marinette both laughed as Nino walked over to join the nonsense.

"Hey dudes, what's up? I heard a lot of screaming over here," he greeted.

"Control your friend, Nino! He's a pile of poop and he's too good at language!" Alya snapped and pointed her finger at him.

"I'd tell you to control your girlfriend, but we both know that's not feasible," Adrien countered. Alya turned ever redder and shot her glare back to the blond. They weren't actually dating…yet.

"You see! He's making up words now," she hissed. Nino laughed and slid his arm around her shoulder to bring his mouth closer to her ear.

"Don't worry, Alya, he's just showing off for Mari," he," he whispered blocking his lips from Adrien and Mari with his hand.

"Yeah, the problem is that it's working," she frowned.

"Don't worry, dude. It's totally chill. Marinette equally distributes her love between the two of you, so you should be glad she's not playing favorites," he assured her. Alya sighed and dropped her arms and instead opted for her hand on her hip.

"Fine, I'll let it slid…for now," she said glaring at the blond who was currently running his fingers through Mari's hair.

"It's so soft too, how do you get it like that?" He asked her as he ignored Alya's piercing gaze.

"Mostly genetics. My moms hair is like the same, and my dad has always had a thick head of hair," she answered.

"Well remind me to thank your parents because this is like dipping my fingers in pure heaven," he murmured as he leaned in for a quick peck on the lips.

"Ugh! At first this was cute, but now it's making me sick," Alya groaned. Marinette blushed and smiled shyly at her friends.

"Pay attention and take notes because this is what true romance looks like," Adrien teased and dramatically wrapped his arms around Marinette. The girl rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No offensive, dude, but Alya has a point. That poetry shit is kinda gag worthy," Nino agreed as Alya vigorously nodded her head and recrossed her arms.

"Is it a crime to speak my heart and passion to my lady? She deserves the best and most authentic from me after all," he continued as he theatrically held the back of his hand to his forehead. Marinette bursted out laughing so hard she bent over to slap her knees.

"You're the biggest dork I've ever met. I love you," she wheezed and stood back up to kiss his cheek.

"Your Chat is showing," she whispered in his ear. He gave her a knowing smile and winked down at her.

"Ugh. When are you guys gonna move out of the puppy love phase?" Alya asked.

"Hopefully never," Adrien replied and leaned his elbow on Mari's shoulder. Their conversation came to an end as the bell rung and all the kids started herding in to the school. Alya and Nino left without the couple because Adrien said he wanted to talk to Marinette. Once the other two were gone she inquired what he could've possibly wanted to talk about.

"I'm glad you asked, princess," he purred and pulled her closer by her waist. She smiled up at him, but her face still got a little pink every time he got romantic or close like this.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure your 3 month estrogen anniversary is coming up," he reminded her.

"It is?" She questioned and tried to recall her calendar.

"Yup, on Saturday it'll officially be three months," he told her. She beamed at the information.

"Oh yeah! It is!"

"Since that is coming up really soon, I wanted to discuss some plans with you," he said. She looked at him skeptically, yet a playful smile remained at her lips.

"What kind of plans?" She asked.

"Mmm…I was thinking dinner with your parents, and then a movie before bed. And then a night under the stars in the Eiffel Tower. I'll bring some sparkling cider," he spoke softly and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. He had noticed her body change and shape within the past three months. It was nothing major, but the dip in her waist was definitely noteworthy. She grinned and bit her bottom lip before tying her arms over his neck.

"I think that sounds wonderful…and incredibly cheesy," she teased and lifted herself on her tiptoes as she came closer. He chuckled.

"Then it's perfect," he murmured and pressed a soft yet sensual kiss to her lips. Mari was about to further his affection when a blood curdling scream tore them apart to see Chloé just exiting her limo. The look on her face was a mixture of shock and disgust as well as a little bit of jealously. Marinette gave her a look of curiosity as she found herself confused at her reaction. Adrien was completely dumbfounded and failed to find a reaction to Chloé's sudden scream. She marched over to them with a hint of confusion herself.

"What is going on here! When did this happen!" She demanded to know.

"Uh…" Adrien trailed off and looked over at Marinette for a clue as to what she was talking about, but she was just as clueless.

"We were just…I was kissing my girlfriend?" He responded. Chloé's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me? You're actually dating him?" She interrogated. Adrien rolled his eyes and scowled.

"Chloé, how many times do I have to correct you? Yes, _she_ is my girlfriend," he told her trying very hard not to snap.

"Whatever. You know what I mean."

"We've been dating for like two months now, are you just now figuring this out?" Marinette asked. Chloé looked at her and went bright red. She squeezed her fists in embarrassment and crossed her arms.

"S-so what if I am! It's not like you two made it obvious!" She snapped bitterly.

"It was actually kinda obvious," Adrien muttered.

"Very obvious, in fact. Even the principal knew," Marinette added. Chloé pouted as she glared at the girl.

"Shut up you stupid girl…boy…thing!" She shouted before letting out a frustrated groan and storming off. The two watched her stomp off to class and Mari couldn't help but laugh once she was out of ear shot.

"Wow, she forgot to misgender me there for a moment," Marinette pointed out.

"She even tried to fix it. How ridiculous," he chuckled.

"At least she doesn't matter enough for it to bother me," she sighed and turned back to face Adrien.

"Good because nothing she says is true," he smiled and held her waist closer to him. She giggled and brought her lips back up against his.

"Merci, mon petit chaton," she whispered. Her breath hit his skin and her nickname for him sent shivers up his spine. She only used it when make out sessions got a little too heated and she wanted to tease him.

"De rien, ma princesse."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: the end

Marinette didn't chose to wake up. She was instead calmly coaxed out of slumber with a warm sensation against her neck, and the feeling of cool leather and claws lightly scrap against her skin. Thin fingers pushed her hair away from her neck as gentle lips kissed at her skin and lead to her jaw. The girl sighed and turned over to the source of heat only to be met with the same soft lips now on her own. Of course she accepted them and reached up to lazily grab a fistful of blond hair. When the heat pulled away she didn't open her eyes and instead smiled before humming with content.

"Bonjour, princess," murmured a welcoming voice that finally persuaded her to open her eyes. Mari blinked up to electric green eyes behind a black mask and paired with a sweet smile. Her smile widened at the sight of her boyfriend in his leather suit and brought her hands over his broad shoulders and down his arms.

"Chat," she uttered sleepily and slowly closed her eyes again as she reached up to kiss him once more.

"Slow down, my lady, or you'll spoil yourself too soon," he whispered and met her eyes again.

"Yeah? Why?" She asked and she stretched and yawned under him. He chuckled.

"You're always forgetting, aren't you? I figured you would've at lease remembered your 1 year estrogen birthday," he purred. Her eyes instantly snapped open as a grin spread across her face.

"Oh my god! Today is my birthday!" She exclaimed excitedly. A smile tugged at his lips as he relished in her pure joy and excitement.

"Yup, you are correct," he replied and kissed her cheek.

"I didn't even think about it! I'm so happy," she beamed and pulled him down for a hug.

"Oof!" He grunted as he was reminded just how strong she was. He then chuckled and complied to hugging her back.

"I'm glad, and I also have a surprise for you," he announced. She gasped and pushed him back to look up at him.

"A surprise? What is it?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? I'll give it to you after school with your parents," he told her and slowly sunk back down to her mouth.

"It's gonna blow. Your. Mind," he said punctuating each word with a kiss. She hummed in approval and brought her legs up to rub against his waist.

"Are you sure you don't have another thing in mind?" She murmured and flirtatiously tugged on his bottom lip. Adrien knew she was teasing him. The boundaries she had set in place had been concert from day one, and he was going to respect her no matter what. Although they both enjoyed teetering on just how far they can go without her feeling nervous. She's never let him go all the way with her.

"You know I'm always open to it, my lady. It's just a matter of how comfortable you are," he replied as she continued down to his neck. The bell jangled as she pushed some of his collar out of the way and deliberately sucked on his skin. He bit his lip as her fingers lightly dragged up his spine and back up to his hair.

"You're such a gentleman. I feel bad thinking about how much you have to endure my relentless teasing," she said and raked her nails back down. He took a deep breath and focused on his goal for today.

"Well, you're gonna have to tease me later because we still have to go to school," he said as he sat up and removed himself from her.

"Wait, come back," she whined and reached out for his hand. He sighed and returned as she smiled. He was always so obedient.

"I love you," she told him and kissed him sweetly. He smirked.

"I love you too. I'll see you soon," he promised. She nodded and let him sit up and leave her again.

"Okay, see ya!"

* * *

"Oh my god I can't believe you got the entire school to sing happy birthday to me! You're the worst!" Marinette complained as she walked to the bakery hand in hand with Adrien. He chuckled and stopped her to pull her closer.

"You won't be saying that after your surprise. Instead I'll be known as the best boyfriend in the world," he replied confidently.

"Ugh! This surprise is making you even worse than the worst. Your the worstist," she continued and dragged him to the bakery.

"Happy birthday, Marinette! Welcome home!" Sabine cheered as her daughter and Adrien walked in.

"Hi, mom," she replied and greeted her with a hug.

"Your dad is still decorating your cake, but he should be done soon. Hopefully Adrien has already told you about his surprise for you," she said with a knowing smile.

"Yes he has and its driving me insane," she groaned and glared back at her boyfriend. He shrugged innocently. She rolled her eyes and returned her focus to her mom.

"Oh, I just love those pigtails. They look so cute," her mother fawned over her hair and stroked it with her fingers.

"I know mom, you've told me that seven times this week," she replied.

"Is there a birthday girl in here?" Tom boomed as he entered the bakery with a small red and white cake. It was iced with white creamy frosting and red fondant along the edge like a scallop.

"Yup! She just came home," Sabine replied as he set the cake on the counter. In red icing cursive, "birthday girl" was written across the cake. Simple yet elegant frosting flowers decorated the empty spaces between the words and the trim and blossomed out where the plate and the cake met. Marinette's eyes lit up at the sight of the cake and she instantly grinned.

"Oh dad! It's so pretty, thank you!"

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. You've grown into a fine young woman," he said and patted her shoulder. She beamed up at him and held her arms out to signal a hug. He obliged and leaned down to embrace his daughter.

"It's amazing! The detailing is so beautiful," she returned to the cake. Her eyes were stuck on it as she felt herself filling up with happiness while she focused on the word 'girl'.

"Of course, Tom and I have a gift for you," Sabine announced and pulled out a small package from behind the counter. Her eyes finally blinked away from the cake and she looked at the cutely wrapped pink box with a purple ribbon around it.

"Oh, a gift? You shouldn't have," she said and accepted the gift.

"Go ahead and open it!" Tom urged. Marinette nodded and pulled at the ribbon to open the box. Inside was a sleeker and more formal looking box which popped open to reveal a shiny golden locket attached to a shimmering chain. She gasped at the beauty and slowly pulled it out of its case.

"Oh my god…it's beautiful…" she breathed and continued to examine the piece of jewelry.

"Look inside," Sabine told her. She quickly opened the necklace to see a picture of Tom and Sabine on one side and a picture of herself with Adrien on the other. It was from the carnival pictures they took in the photo booth together a couple months ago. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

"This is so amazing, thank you so much!" She squealed and hugged her parents.

"It was Adrien's idea to put in the pictures. It's a necklace that your mom gave to me to pass down to my daughter one day. She was a little upset when we announced you to be a boy, but I guess she won out in the end anyways," Tom told her. She giggled and set the box down to open the clasp and put it on. Adrien had taken it from her hands as she reached behind her neck and instead secured the clasp for her.

"Thanks. It's gorgeous," she said with awe as she held it up to look at it closely.

"I'm glad you like it," Tom replied and made eye contact with Adrien. They both nodded and the blond cleared his voice.

"I think it's time for my gift for you," he announced pulling an envelope from his bag. Marinette looked at him with confusion.

"Huh? I thought this was the surprise," she said. Adrien shook his head.

"Not even close. That was from your parents. This is from me," he corrected her and handed her the envelope. She gave him a skeptical look and then looked down at the light pink paper.

"Hmm…is this a cheesy birthday card?" She asked.

"Open it and find out," he prompted. She hummed in curiosity and peeled back the paper. Inside was a white card with sleek black words printed on the front. The words read "I SRS-ly love you!" embellished with cute little ladybugs around the boarder. She raised her eyebrow at the message on the front of the card and looked over to Adrien. He was grinning with pride at his choice of words, and when she returned to the card she finally got what it meant to say.

"Oh, like 'I seriously love you,' I get it," she spoke. Adrien laughed.

"Just open the card," he replied shaking his head. She smiled at him and opened the card. Inside was a small slip of paper, but she ignored that for the time being as she read the message inside out loud.

"Dear Mari, this past year with you has been filled with ups and downs. Mostly ups, but we can't forget the downs. I've told you since day one that I want to make you happy, and seeing you go through the downs have been absolutely unbearable. I've discussed this with your parents, and I hope that you'll accept my gift to you…as it is (in my opinion) essential to your happiness…and transition?" She reread the letter a couple more times and finally looked down at the slip of paper she had put aside for the time being.

She recognized it as a check, but her jaw dropped as she read the number on it and who it was addressed to. On the check was the exact amount of money she had raised over the course of the year. Through odd jobs, extra hours in the bakery, and tons of babysitting she had managed to raise a third of the money she needed for her surgery. Since her parents had agreed to match her she had a little over two thirds saved up, and the last third was sitting in her hands.

It was almost unbelievable. She blinked down at the paper and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things clearly. No way was he really…? She looked back up at Adrien who had the warmest, most adoring smile, and then over to her parents and back to him. It was embarrassing, but she could feel wetness start to well up in her eyes.

"A-Adrien…this is…oh my god," she stammered as she looked back down at the check.

"I talked about it with your parents, and they thought it would be good for both you and them financially, as well as good for your overall health. I've researched and contacted a few sex-reassignment surgeons in France within your budget and there's one nearby. You can schedule a consultation whenever you're ready," he informed her.

"Adrien this is too much, I-I can't…god this is so much," she gasped and tried to blink away her tears. Adrien gently took the check from her hand and held it in his hand as if he was weighing it.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Hm, it sure doesn't feel as heavy as the world. Even then, nothing is too much for you," he said and smiled before handing it back to her. She giggled and hugged him tightly, squeezing him affectionately and nuzzling in to his neck.

"Thank you…so much," she sniffled. He held her close as well and kissed her nape.

"You're welcome. Happy birthday, Mari," he spoke softly.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
